During the era of rapid technological advancement and social media, activism has undergone great transformation. The digital age we are in has manufactured incomprehensible opportunities for individuals and groups to advocate for change. In Malcolm Gladwell’s work, “Small Change,” he explores the effectiveness of online activism and more traditional and offline methods. Gladwell argues that the platforms of social media are better suited for “weak ties” and low-risk activism. He oppositely suggests that the best type of activism is activism that takes place in face-to-face interactions, like the activism that took place during the civil rights movement. In Sherry Turkles’ work, “ Empathy Diaries”, she explains that the rapidly growing digital age has diminished us socially and that it has replaced the need for us to engage with another person one-on-one. Both Turkles and Gladwell’s work feed into each other as they both highlight the facets of activism and how it has transformed over time. The transformative impact of the digital age on activism has elicited a landscape where genuine advocacy for activism is blurred by the illusion of care fostered by social media and other digital technologies.

To understand activism it is important to first understand whaat it is and what it can do.

Social media and other digital technologies obscure true activists from those who sit behind their screens, creating the illusion of care without actual effort to make change. In this digital age, distinguishing between these two different types of activists can become increasingly challenging, highlighting the importance of genuine engagement.

With the evolving landscape of activism in this digital age, comes the demand for the realignment of our understanding, in regards to recognizing that impactful change can emerge not only through the digital realm but also through the integration of online and offline efforts.

The integration of both technological advancement and the influences of social media has reshaped the landscape of activism. As we are in a world where we can make profound changes and improvements in our societies, the need for genuine advocacy and fake engagement becomes challenging. Considering the ideas from both authors, it is essential to understand the impact of every way we can help make a change and find the most effective. In this realm of activism, activism is not to be defined by one modality but an idea that has many different approaches that can uniquely impact society in their ways and ultimately play a part in social transformation. It is crucial to embrace this sense of hybridism of activism that living in the 21st century requires.

800 words

Alex Yeaton

Professor Jesse Miller

English

18 November 2023

Beyond Clicks and Shares

During the era of rapid technological advancement and social media, activism has undergone great transformation. The digital age we are in has manufactured incomprehensible opportunities for individuals and groups to advocate for change. In Malcolm Gladwell’s work, “Small Change,” he explores the effectiveness of online activism and more traditional and offline methods. Gladwell argues that social media platforms are better suited for ” weak ties” and high-risk activism. He also suggests that the most impactful form of activism is the activism that takes place in face-to-face interactions, for example, the activism that took place during the Civil Rights Movement. In Sherry Turkles’ work, “ Empathy Diaries”, she explains that the rapidly growing digital age has diminished us socially and that it has replaced the need for us to engage with another person one-on-one. Both Turkles and Gladwell’s work feed into each other as they both highlight the facets of activism and how it has transformed over time. As their insights intersect, a common theme emerges— the transformative impact of the digital age on activism has elicited a complicated landscape. In this landscape, the line between genuine advocacy and the illusion of care fostered by social media and other digital technologies becomes increasingly blurred. The very technology that we use to empower individuals and groups to advocate for change has questioned the sincerity and in-depth engagement of our social media footprint. By navigating the complexities of what is real and fake activism, we can unlock the true potential of digital tools that can deepen our impact on societal progress.

POTENTIAL START OF BODY PARAGRAPH? To understand activism it is important to first understand what it is and what it can do.

Social media and other digital technologies have been both the stepping stones to societal change and the breeding ground for superficial engagement. The illusion of care can be illustrated through the many facets of technology like shares, likes, retweets, posts, etc, creating a form of activism that doesn’t require genuine engagement or commitment. Gladwell expresses this problem in his work. Gladwell asserts, “ Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice, but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice,” (Gladwell 9). Gladwell’s perspective on the limitations of digital activism is a direct example of how social media and societal change intersect. While social media provides a platform for spreading awareness on a huge scale, the awareness being spread is fake. People are sitting behind their screens pressing buttons instead of making an actual sacrifice to help make a difference. INTRODUCE AND ADD QUOTE

With the evolving landscape of activism in this digital age, comes the demand for the realignment of our understanding, in regards to recognizing that impactful change can emerge not only through the digital realm but also through the integration of online and offline efforts. If we want to use a powerful tool like social media we must know how to use it. As Gladwell suggests, “ The kind of activism associated with social media isn’t like this at all. The platforms of social media are built around weak ties. Twitter is a way of following (or being followed by) people you may never have met. Facebook is a tool for efficiently managing your acquaintances, for keeping up with the people you would not otherwise be able to stay in touch with. That’s why you can have a thousand “friends” on Facebook, as you never could in real life,” (Gladwell 7). This quote speaks to the architecture of social media activism as it operates on weak ties and superficial connections. These superficial connections create problems and challenge our ability to persuade or mobilize people to make a change because we lack deep or personal connections with each other. INTRODUCE AND ADD QUOTE. There needs to be real-life activism, not just digital. 

The integration of both technological advancement and the influences of social media has reshaped the landscape of activism. As we are in a world where we can make profound changes and improvements in our societies, the need for genuine advocacy becomes critical. Considering the ideas from both authors, it is essential to understand the impact of every way we can help make a change and find the most effective. In this realm of activism, activism is not to be defined by one modality but an idea that has many different approaches that can uniquely impact society in their ways and ultimately play a part in social transformation. It is crucial to embrace this sense of hybridism of activism that living in the 21st century requires. ROUGH SHAPE (Just ideas)

Works Cited

Turkle, Sherry. The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir, Penguin Press, 2022, Accessed 19      Novemeber.2023.

Final Draft