The ancient Greeks defined Kairos as meaning to act at the right or opportune moment, known as the ‘supreme moment’. Rhetorical situations often appear without warnings, each with its own unique set of challenges, at certain time and places that can’t be replicated. It is up to us as an individual, aspirating rhetoricians, to judge when the opportune moment to engage in rhetorical situations is. However, has the definition of how we engage in Kairos changed since its inception in ancient Greece? The ancient Greeks had two different concepts of time, one being Chronos (linear) and the other being Kairos (opportunity).They understood that the world is ever changing and that knowledge is never static. In today’s modern society, we often engage in Kairos through action such as activism and protests. The article Small Change, written by Malcolm Gladwell of The New Yorker, argues that the rise of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites have altered how activism and Kairos is seen …show more content…
Anyone can engage in slacktivism through actions such as liking an activist’s post, because slacktivism itself does not demand much of the individual. It is the same reason as to why we’re able to amass hundreds to thousands of friends on social media sites, without ever being close or even knowing most of them. Social media has also allowed us to engage in Kairos more frequently, over a broader spectrum of situations, thanks to a continuous feed of new news. As a result, activism on social media sites tend to quickly reach a much larger audience, allowing greater participation without intense dedication like in high-risk activism. In conclusion, my Big Idea Question for the week will be: Do you think that social media has hurt the authenticity of activism/Kairos, making it too casual or convenient to deeply care about the