Performative Activism

PERFORMATIVE ACTIVISM — Social media usage among high schoolers has transformed true activism with intent for change into a series of trends, such as #BlackOutTuesday, which went viral in 2020. On June 2, millions of Instagram users posted a black screen on their accounts to stand in solidarity with Black users. Ultimately, the trend amounted to no change and actually hindered the flow of important information about nationwide protests.

Although these posts may be detrimental, they are often the easiest, most accessible option for teenagers who want to make an impact on their community. When students are met with regulations and other challenges that make advocacy difficult to carry out, they often resort to social media as a quick, rule-free medium of activism. Some believe that social media activism isn’t necessarily dangerous when coupled with other behaviors.

“An Instagram post on your story doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person,” Rodgers said. “It’s about what you do after that, because social media is definitely how most of us become aware about different situations.”

Along with its accessibility, social media has created an overwhelming pressure on users that results in a fear that they will not be seen as an ally to progressive causes due to their silence on a topic. As a result, certain issues deteriorate into trends, with the genuine activism behind the causes being cast aside in favor of easily shareable posts.

While those using social media to spread information are usually well-intentioned, social media tends to value aesthetics over content. For complex issues such as systemic racism, social media has led to visually pleasing infographics being shared more than posts that go into more depth about nuanced issues.

In a high school environment, where the opinions of others—for better or for worse—often have a large effect on how people act, it is common that students feel the need to be constantly engaged in social awareness.

“I think there’s a certain pressure to be someone who you’re not, especially in high school,” Rodgers said. “If there’s a certain issue that affects people you know and care about…there’s an inclination to speak out. With Black Lives Matter, there was a ‘silence is violence’ code that was going around, so people felt obligated to post about [BLM], even though they didn’t want to make [effective] changes.”

Social media allows people to simply appear like advocates for justice through shallow online actions. Empty actions don’t go unnoticed, however, and they have become a a target of stringent criticism.

“As marginalized communities, we see this often. Those who pretend to be allies. Those who pretend to want to change,” McLean counselor Amber Simpkins said. “These disingenuous actions actually hurt the movement more than anything else. True activism comes from the heart, and it is a desire to see true and lasting change. Performative activism is empty words and actions meant to only appease the oppressed.”