The Internet: An Instrument, Not An Instigator, Of Change

Internet Activism: Low Risk, Low Reward?

In an article in the New Yorker, author Malcolm Gladwell cites a not-too distant example of successful social activism embedded within American history that did not involve “likes,” tweets or shares to accomplish its lofty goals: the 1960 sit-ins at Greensboro, North Carolina.

Much like online protests today in America, they weren’t the first of their kind, however they were quite influential. But unlike today’s characteristically benign acts of online protest occasionally barbed with cynicism and snark, a slip on behalf of protestors in North Carolina wouldn’t result in a “defriending” or a vitriolic reblog, it could result in a failure of the entire protest and the endangerment of their person.

That, Gladwell explains, is a key difference between the 21st century cyber activism and the “IRL” activism of the 20th century: the latter was inherently high risk, involved a hierarchy of power and command, and had participants with strong personal connections to the cause that were naturally greatly committed to the issue at hand.

Compare that to today: we follow people we don’t know, maintain superficial ties with acquaintances with whom we would otherwise not speak, and it’s all conducted on platforms that allot everyone an equal opportunity to make an ass out of him or herself.

In Gladwell’s eyes, social media at its best is low-risk activism best suited for sophomoric spooking and trolling. In essence, what Internet activism gains in participation it lacks in impact. It’s easy to press a “like” button; it’s a bit harder to live it. To critics of social media, small, superficial and virtual acts of defiance should reap equally small rewards. Right?

SOPA, PIPA and Komen

Not necessarily. If anything is indicative of the powers of mass agitation and minimal effort, it is resident conservative stalwart Paul Ryan’s shocking reversal of his former pro-stance toward SOPA — one that many speculate was the result of a campaign on behalf of Reddit.

On January 18, there were 80 supporters and 31 opponents to SOPA and PIPA. Less than two weeks later, the supporters dropped to 55 and those “leaning no” skyrocketed to 205. While the cause—freedom to share content on the Internet—is definitely of “first world” concern, the change is without a doubt a formidable one.

And then there was the Susan G. Komen Foundation uproar. Clicking en masse to Pinterest, Twitter and whatever outlet would host their cyber roar, Internet activists sought to punish Komen for its defunding decision and even utilized the Super Bowl as a way to disseminate their message.

And even though the hash tag “TakeBackThePink” doesn’t really mean anything in and of itself, it was only 72 hours before the organization retreated from their decision and apologized for its conduct. Citizens had spoken—albeit online—and they were heard. Plain and simple.