Hitting Like or Hitting the Streets: Defining Activism in a Digital World

I have recently been in a number of spaces in which the topic of activism has come up, and specifically folks wondering about the generational differences in how we approach activism.

Folks my age will say that Gen Z and millennials are more apt to hit “like” than turn up in person to a protest. And yet I look at some of the most impactful movements of the last few years and they have been fueled by young people.

Black Lives Matter in the US activated young people and encouraged them to connect their digital presence to on the ground protest, and it strengthened everything, putting powerful images of live protest into the hands of folks who could not be there in body, and generating online conversations about police interactions with Black bodies and abuses of power across systems.

The group of anti-government protests that swept the Arab world in the early 2010’s, loosely grouped under the banner Arab Spring, identifies much of its success with the ability of young people to connect what was happening locally with a larger movement and to amplify its message on a global scale through the use of social media.

This is a great example of where a “both and” approach can strengthen all the work being done, and accomplish shared goals.

Yes, digital activism is activism and can have a powerful impact when it is combined and coordinated with one the ground activism.

And on the ground activism benefits greatly from the elevation and broad public scrutiny that can be achieved through digital means.

I think the question most people wonder about is where is the line between the two? At what point is hitting “like” simply awareness building? At what point does digital activism need to drive people to take real time action? 

The history of activism shows us that successful movements are made up of many people taking on a variety of roles with a common purpose:

Some people stand on the front lines of a protest or demonstration.

Some people look after small children so their parents can participate in organizing meetings.

Some people cook vats of soup to take to the folks on the front line of the protest.

Some people write letters to political leaders to demand that they recognize that the message of protestors has far-reaching support.

Digital activism can be much more than simply hitting “like”. It can be intentionally posting provocative articles on select sites to increase awareness and build influence. It can be using social media to link like-minded grassroots groups to strengthen their collective goals. It can be calling out decision-makers in ways that build collective momentum around an issue. It can build relationships among geographically separated pockets of activism.

It’s easy to see digital activists as “other”, not actually real activists, but I think it is short-sighted to do so. Digital activism is an increasingly critical element in successful movement building. So much more than hitting “like”, it builds collective momentum across sectors, across movements and across geographies.