ZACH TENNENT

Perpetuating a lack of awareness and understanding of current events, slacktivism is built on the misguided idea that pulling your weight and getting involved takes no effort.

In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris on Jan. 7, social media erupted with shows of sympathy for those slain and in support of free speech. The hashtag #jesuischarlie, which translates to “I am Charlie” from French, became one of the most popular hashtags in Twitter history.

However, the popularity of #jesuischarlie sends out mixed messages. On the surface, it’s reassuring to see such interest and investment in contemporary global issues at the forefront of social media. On the other hand, one does have to recognize that in the grand scheme of things, using a hashtag or sharing a picture is a relatively hollow act.

I call the logic of slacktivism misguided because while acts like online sharing show that you agree with it can be gratifying and maybe even mildly effective, they are not equal to seriously campaigning for change. Nor are they demonstrative that one completely understands the issue at hand. This is where slacktivism sells a false — albeit comforting — bill of goods.

These kinds of social media campaigns bring hashtags and retweets to the front of public consciousness, but it’s not like they really bring out the issues. We can’t get the same education from reading a tweet or sharing a picture that we could get from reading a newspaper article or watching the news.

This is why slacktivism can be dangerous. Although it allows us to easily feel engaged in response to important causes, it also allows us to hastily feel like we’ve already done our part, preventing us from further familiarizing ourselves with the issues at hand.

Why is slacktivism so appealing anyway? I think that we all want to seem informed and opinionated when it comes to current events, even when we’re not. In slacktivism, we get to feel like we have our fingers on the pulse of society and are completely up to date. But that can then lead us to confuse what we do both with being fully informed and with bringing about substantial change.

On social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, we get the chance to present ourselves as whoever we want to be. Presumably, most people don’t want to come across as ignorant in regards to what’s going on in the world. Small acts of online slacktivism are then an easy way to indicate that we keep an ear to current events, even if in truth we don’t.

At the same time — when it seems that nothing happens until it’s Facebook official — taking part in these kinds of social media movements online instead of getting involved through other means lets us do our part right where everyone can see it. A good deed is its own reward, but recognition is pretty great too; I can’t help but think of George Costanza on Seinfeld taking his money back out of the tip jar when he realizes no one saw him put it in to begin with.

As #jesuischarlie can show us, no one can predict what kinds of sentiments can be paired with these hashtags, especially when they become worldwide trending topics. This can have very negative consequences for social movements. For example, while there is no strictly defined mission statement regarding what exactly #jesuischarlie is supposed to mean, it would ostensibly signify support for freedom of speech and tribute to those who were killed at Charlie Hebdo.

However, a good deal of the uses have been attached to blatantly racist and Islamophobic hate speech — something that France and Canada both have laws against, mind you. Evidently the meaning has come to be a bit muddled. This is a key example of slacktivism perpetuating ignorance as the result of a lack of genuine understanding.

When I take part in slacktivist causes on Facebook or elsewhere online, I find myself wondering if I’m even making some kind of difference and I often conclude that I’m really not. It would be wrong for me to think that tweeting #jesuischarlie means that I’m passionately rallying for change or to think that it means I’m actually even truly involved in the cause. To put it bluntly, it seems that when it comes to slacktivism, most of the time it’s the least we can do and that’s why we do it.

I do have to acknowledge that, when compared to some of the more ridiculous hashtags and trends that take off on social media, trending topics like #jesuischarlie are still doing a comparative good in the world. But it doesn’t end there — actions speak louder than hashtags. Slacktivism may be an appealing starting point, but when we take part in it we shouldn’t mistake it for anything more substantial than what it really is.