Throughout the last two years we have seen a rise in social justice issues, as well as the desire to show our support. However, oftentimes these methods of showing support can appear to be performative, even if we truly believe in the cause. Performative activism is defined as activism for the purpose of increasing one’s social capital, rather than showing actual devotion to a cause. A prime example of performative activism was the hashtag, “#BlackOutTuesday,” in which many people posted a black square to show their support for Black Lives Matter. While many of these people truly do support the cause, the mere posting of a square seems like a lazy way of showing it. Additionally, if you didn’t post this square, many people would call you out and say you “aren’t supporting the cause” because you aren’t posting anything.
This isn’t to call anyone out on social media activism, as it is a very effective way to spread information. I’ll even admit that I posted many infographics following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to show my support for Blacks Lives Matter, as well as wanting to share information with others. I realized later, however, that this was not a proactive form of activism, and I looked up other, more effective ways to show my support and help others do the same.
If you want to help share petitions and organizations to donate to you can click here. Keep showing your support for those facing injustices, and try to continue being proactive in your activism online!
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