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Why Is Slacktivism Effective

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Slacktivism and its Effectiveness What is slacktivism? Slacktivism is a new way to be a social activist at the tip of your fingers. Some might refer to this sort of activism as "chair-activism". For this reason, people are now using social media websites to be "activists". Heidi Schlumpf argues in her essay, "Slacktivism" Makes the World a Better Place from the Couch', that slacktivism is better than no activism at all and that it actually does help make a difference. Does it really? If activism requires action, then are slacktivists really helping to make a difference? And is slacktivism effective? No it is not, and here is why: Firstly, it is true that slacktivism can help spread awareness and is a good kickstart to help a cause. However, awareness is …show more content…

"While slacktivism can inspire discourse on important issues, it often does not lead to conversation on how to take further steps of support." states Gabriella Corvese in her essay, 'Putting Action Back in Activism'. This statement puts perspective on the slacktivist issue because it makes you question the effectiveness that it has over people. Does slacktivism help beyond spreading word? It may at times, but most of the time people are not doing anything more than clicking a 'like' button or going out to actually do something about it. So, in order for change to happen actions must be made. More needs to be done than simply liking a Facebook status, or tweeting something out. What really counts and what is going to make a difference is what people do off their phones, or computers. In an article on the Daily Telegraph writer Emma Barnett expresses her worry of the slacktivist movement,

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You can alway do something with a positive effect. Lucy Flucker Knox was a brave and honest women. She never gave up and was optimistic. It would be good to make a good difference and be positive about it. I look up to her because she always tried to make a great, positive

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“But there is something else at work here, in the outsized enthusiasm for social media. Fifty years after one of the most extraordinary episodes of social upheaval in American history, we seem to have forgotten what activism is” (Gladwell 44). Gladwell strongly feels that the internet has created this loss of social activism in the world, in which the internet has redefined what protesting used to stand for. Protests during the civil rights movement, was a method for people to bring about change, but since the creation of the internet people use it as a way to replace protesting. Carr believes that the internet creates a loss of reading while Gladwell thinks it creates a loss of the meaning of social activism.

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Due the human nature, the pursuits of liberty, justice, and happiness have always been major concerns of humans throughout the history regardless of the way individuals connected and organized. Before phones or emails were even invented, the underprivileged individuals or groups congregated through “close ties”. In the recent years, individuals with “weak ties” adopt a different approach on similar activism with the help of various social media. Although these events are meant for similar intentions, their different communication methods induce an enormous distinction on their impacts, says Malcolm Gladwell in “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”. He depicts that the movements by people bonding with “strong-ties”(Gladwell 405) tend to impact the society with substantial advancement through “high-risk activism”.

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Face-to-face contact was the most important aspect to building a strong grassroots following for The Civil Rights Movement. Nowadays, political activism manifests itself online and, if lucky, is addressed by politicians. Turkle mentions, “Technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and to disengage at will” (274). Turkle references motivation and how people are uncommitted to communications with others. Being able to disengage at will allows people to do whatever they want.

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An unemployed millennial joins his fellow comrades, creating an army whose mission is to march to Wall Street, the pit of corporate greed. The army is equipped with picket fences and posters, and is ready to fight in order to seize what is rightfully theirs. They fight, and as the war they wage is continuing strong, those on the sidelines observe that the eternal struggle, the one marked with social media activism that has created an entire movement to Occupy Wall Street has changed absolutely nothing. Occupy Wall Street was an example of social media activism that demonstrates social media alone cannot change challenging problems, and confirms Malcolm Gladwell’s argument about the ineffectiveness of social media activism in affecting legitimate

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Teen activism “I don’t see anything uncommon in it,” states Alex Lin a former teen activist. Teen activists, who are they, what do they stand for ,and what does it take to become one? Teen activists make a big difference in this world, they devote time and energy to helping others a they don’t let challenges get in their way ,they stand up for what they believe in, and they encourage others to do so. All it takes to become one is lots of determination and a voice and the bravery to stand up! Alex Lin!

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There are many Teen activists in the world. And they all have a lot in common and a lot they do different. All teen activists have to speak out to spread the word of their claim. For example, Malala Yousafzai chose to go worldwide and got on youtube and tv interviews. Alex Lin however did not he didn’t have as big of a problem so he stayed local in his community and spread the word by mouth in his community.

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Gladwell illustrates his argument that social media is not an effective tool for change or revolution by giving examples from the present where social media has claimed to be helpful although it was not, and examples from the past where although social media did not yet exist activist were more successful. When presenting his argument, Gladwell’s diction and writing style allow his article to be so successful and convincing. He starts with a story, and then explains why the example supports his reasoning. This approach makes him seem extremely educated, reinforcing the strengths of his argument. Throughout his article, Gladwell also demonstrates numerous dependable qualities such as self-confidence, experience, and persuasiveness.

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One key analysis will be in the relationship between students of different races and ethnicities and the extent of the effect that the movement had on these students. The different levels of effect that the movement may have had on the student’s lives is not something that is studied often. This proposed research aims to fill that lack of understanding by studying these students within their own environment. With this research, we hope to create a new discussion on how powerful social media activism is when it is reaching a larger

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has made the world better is that it lets people volunteer and help others easier. Richard had a five year goal to have “at least 9 satellite operations providing more than 1,100 tons of food or the equivalent of 15 million meals a year”(Youngblood 2). In the beginning, his only goal was to get more satellites so more people would be able to volunteer at closer locations. Along with this Proudfit also had events that Laggis writes the people that signed up were also signing up for a second shift and some were almost turned down because that completely passed their goal of 450 volunteers (1). So many people had signed up they had completely passed their goal and those people enjoyed helping enough that they signed up for multiple shifts.

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Have you ever wanted to change the world? Teen activists are a good example to look at. A teen activist is someone who wants to change the world in a positive way because they are trying to fix problems they have experienced themselves. They are hard-working, never give up, and they are inspiring in their community. Teen activists are a huge part of our future, changing things positively one step at a time.

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“A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory “ (Older Pete) Unbroken is a film produced in the year two thousand and fourteen. The main director of this film is Angelina Jolie. This film won the following awards: Academy Awards, USA 2015, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA 2015, AFI Awards, USA 2015, African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) 2014, Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2015, American Society of Cinematographers, USA 2015, Art Directors Guild 2015, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2015, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2014, Cinema Audio Society, USA 2015, Cinema for Peace Awards 2015, CinEuphoria Awards 2016, Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards 2014, Empire

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When playing the role of an activist on in any form, activism is constantly prominent in their lives. Activism is defined to be the policy or action of using dynamic and often confrontational campaigning by means of organizing demonstrations and protests to achieve the goal in bringing about political and/or social change. Then there is slacktivism which refers to the actions that are performed via the Internet to support and stand up to a political or social cause but which can be regarded as requiring little time, effort and involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website. When considering activism, certain pros and cons come to mind.

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Volunteering has been proven to reduce mischief in adolescents, depression, heart disease, and even stress. If a person were to feel unimportant, volunteering has a way of making them feel like an important role in society. For all ages, volunteering can benefit each age group. To adolescents, it can keep them out of trouble and teach them life lessons. For adults, it can improve their self-worth and overall happiness in life.

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When volunteering, people become close to the ones with whom they are volunteering. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and gain more friends for life. Not only can someone create new bonds when they volunteer, but they can also make the bonds they already have with somebody stronger. The article, "15 Unexpected Benefits of Volunteering That Will Inspire You" states, "Volunteering creates stronger bonds between friends, family, and coworkers. " When volunteering, it gets the volunteer out there and makes them be more social.

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