Sometimes dubbed "
slacktivism" or "hashtag activism" by critics (Fatkin & Lansdown, 2015; Moscato, 2016), this form of citizen participation is able to "leverage audience interest to amplify messaging.
The theory of substitution concludes that new media develops slow or soft activism, known as "
slacktivism" or "clictivism," referring to people who prefer their political activity to take place only in the on-line environment (e-petitions, groups in social media) avoiding the risks of offline activism (travel, public exposure, sometimes repression).
Millennials have been accused recently of "
slacktivism," a common descriptor of millennials taking action for a social cause often on social media, which requires little effort and generates littie support for that social cause or nonprofit (Miller 2017).
Further, the findings of this study negate the view that accessing news via online and social media would only result in "
slacktivism," particularly among African audiences (Bosch, 2013; Malila & Oelofsen, 2016).
"There's been a lot written about '
slacktivism,' or how it's easy for someone to give someone $10 on Facebook to 'like' a candidate's status, but ultimately in a turnout election, what's going to matter is who shows up at the polls," Batsell said.
Nor is it to diminish the risks of social media warping users' view of reality by facilitating the spread of biased and even outright false news (though many experts believe that the internet is far more effective at producing "
slacktivism" than actual political mobilization).
Thus, '
slacktivism,' or 'clicktivism' that takes just a mouse click is potentially diluting 'real' activism" (p.
A black-dress protest will be held -- but "men in black" are accused of
slacktivism.Hollywood's biggest pre-Oscars prize-giving ceremony takes place on January 7.
Some interviewees are sceptical about this distant engagement that Evgeny Morozov (2011) calls "
slacktivism," and Romaric, a young male feminist of 23, points out: "Activism is a daily commitment and a strenuous work.
Jesse Brown, "
Slacktivism Defeats Lawful Access", Maclean's (21 September 2011), online: <www.macleans.ca>, archived at https://perma.cc/3QP7-3Y5E (detailing the influence of a 70,000-person petition opposing the proposed legislation); Michael Geist, "Ottawa Finds Public No Pushover on Snooping Law", Toronto Star (30 October 2006) E3.
This failure to follow through is an example of the "
slacktivism" that is too often at play on social media.