{"id":6444,"date":"2015-12-22T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-22T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/is-the-internet-fueling-social-change-or-giving-license-to-engage-in-lazy-activism\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T16:03:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T23:03:43","slug":"is-the-internet-fueling-social-change-or-giving-license-to-engage-in-lazy-activism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/is-the-internet-fueling-social-change-or-giving-license-to-engage-in-lazy-activism\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Internet fueling social change or giving license to engage in lazy activism?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-2240-690x432.jpg\"\n                    data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Is the Internet fueling social change or giving license to engage in lazy activism?\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  According to political experts, clicking \u201clike\u201d and signing online petitions will not supplant showing up in efforts to address issues such as gay rights and gun control.\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=faculty\">Faculty<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Is the Internet fueling social change or giving license to engage in lazy activism?<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  USC Dornsife scholars give insight into the influence of online political activism on society and on participants\u2019 individual psyches.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Lizzie Hedrick<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">December 22, 2015<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n 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0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>In 2011, political uprisings were rampant throughout the world \u2014 from the Arab Spring that started in Tunisia and swept through more than 15 other Arab countries \u2014 to Occupy Wall Street protesters huddled in New York\u2019s Zuccotti Park.<\/p>\n<p>During that time, activists that were separated by oceans, religions and reasons for rioting stayed connected through social media networks. Oded Marom, a Ph.D. student in sociology, examines the links between social movements and digital technology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActivists used the Internet as a way to communicate and create a public sphere that helped them feel as if they were all part of a global, rather than local or national, movement, protesting together against an unfair political and economic order,\u201d Marom said. \u201cWhat I found most striking was that although activists did not necessarily share a common ideological agenda, they were united around an intense common emotional experience that enabled them to circumvent their national differences.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Oded-225x300-2240.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Oded Marom\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oded Marom, a Ph.D. student in sociology. Photo courtesy of Oded Marom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Online activism \u2014 which can be as simple as changing one\u2019s Facebook profile photo to a rainbow flag or signing a petition to support gun control measures \u2014 has earned a reputation for being <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oxforddictionaries.com\/definition\/english\/slacktivism\">\u201cslacktivist,\u201d<\/a> or offering a lazy way for people to feel as if they are taking part in a greater movement while never doing more than clicking a \u201cthumbs-up\u201d icon.<\/p>\n<p>Marom, along with other political theorists at USC Dornsife, believes that while the Internet does have the potential to lower the bar for what constitutes \u201cactivism,\u201d we should not discredit its power to incite meaningful change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a way, what some call slacktivism can create a community of strangers who share a common commitment to a cause, mainly by lowering the cost in money, time and effort, of interaction and organization,\u201d Marom said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What can the Internet do for society?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dan Schnur, director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/unruh\/\">Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics<\/a>, believes online political activism is a launch pad for efforts to influence policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can use online and social networking tools to inform and organize people around an issue, and that\u2019s a terrific thing,\u201d said Schnur, assistant professor of the practice of political science, \u201cbut it is only a first step. If all you do is text back and forth about how angry you are, not much is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Schnur_RO-225x300-2240.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Dan Schnur\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics. Photo courtesy of USC Media Relations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Robert Shrum, Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and professor of the practice of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/politicalscience\/\">political science<\/a>, agreed that the Internet\u2019s greatest power is as an organizing tool.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do think social media can empower people to express themselves in a way that the old door-to-door petition-signing route didn\u2019t quite do,\u201d Shrum said. \u201cBut while it is true that the Internet can enable activism, there is no replacement for in-person events.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shrum pointed to a march for gay rights in Washington, D.C., that was organized entirely on facebook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure slacktivism is a completely fair description for what\u2019s going on with online political interactions,\u201d he said. \u201cFor some people it\u2019s probably purely symbolic, but for others, it is an expression of what they <em>can<\/em> do \u2014 and even a precursor for meaningful real-world gatherings or protests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What can the Internet do for my conscience? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In mid-November, when thousands of facebook profile photographs changed to create a sea of French flags to honor victims of terrorist attacks in Paris, a debate formed about whether this show of support had any force as a change agent \u2014 or if it was just a way to help helpless people feel better.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Shrum_2_MM-350x225-2240.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Robert Shrum\" width=\"350\" height=\"225\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert Shrum, Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and professor of the practice of political science. Photo by Matt Meindl.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI have a lot of sympathy for folks who change their facebook photos to show solidarity after Charlie Hebdo, or the attacks in Paris or San Bernardino, because it is something they <em>can<\/em> do,\u201d Shrum said.<\/p>\n<p>Because the average person in the United States can\u2019t do anything directly about Paris, Shrum explained, \u201cchanging your facebook photo is at least sending a message \u2014 and we may reach the point at which there is so much indignation against guns and mass shootings that there will be some action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jane Junn, professor of political science, has a more cynical view. She argues that true activism must be proactive and sustained. Knee-jerk reactions to a horrific event are generally slacktivist, she said, because participants often haven&#8217;t been engaged with the issues in the past, and the efforts generally die out.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Jane-Junn-350x225-2240.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Jane Junn\" width=\"350\" height=\"225\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jane Junn, professor of political science. Photo courtesy of Jane Junn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTo put a French flag up when you haven\u2019t been to France, and you don\u2019t know anybody French, is pretty meaningless,\u201d she said. \u201cMost participation scholars will tell you that the larger and more anonymous an event, the less impact it has \u2014 unless there is a staggering number of people involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The more in-depth and policy-specific an event is, the more influence it will have, Junn said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is too great a leap to say showing solidarity for victims of the tragedy in Paris will affect gun control measures here,\u201d she said. \u201cA response from an elected official has to come from a pretty pointed and direct claim from his or her constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The psychology trap<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>John Monterosso, associate professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/\">psychology<\/a>, raises a psychological paradox in the Internet\u2019s ability both to fuel and squelch social movements.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/John-M-225x300-2240.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of John Monterosso\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">John Monterosso, associate professor of psychology. Photo courtesy of John Monterosso.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere is a body of social psychology research that shows getting people to do something small gets your foot in the door \u2014 even if the very action is meaningless,\u201d Monterosso said.<\/p>\n<p>Once someone feels like an activist \u2014 even if it is just a charade \u2014 the person may be more likely to do something else that requires greater effort because he or she doesn\u2019t want to lose the identity of being an activist, Monterosso explained.<\/p>\n<p>But that logic can also be turned on its head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlternatively, once someone does something positive, they may feel it gives them the right to stop their efforts there,\u201d Monterosso said.<\/p>\n<p>In social psychology, this concept is called the moral licensing effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this case, it\u2019s possible that by asking someone to do a meaningless task, they will later feel as if they already fulfilled their duty and are less likely to do the <em>real<\/em> work,\u201d Monterosso said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Upping your activist game <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bridging the gap between passive online support and more active participation goes back to a long-standing question in political sociology of what makes people shift from low-effort protests to more involved work, Marom said.<\/p>\n<p>Marom cited research by Stanford University sociologist Doug McAdam, who studied participation in the 1964 Freedom Summer, when activists went to Mississippi to register black voters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMcAdam\u2019s explanation was that the more people who participate in low-risk activism, the more they get to know other activists and become integrated into the activists\u2019 network,\u201d Marom said. \u201cThis encourages the construction of their activist identity, which makes them more amenable to participating in more costly forms of activism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Schnur reinforced this idea referencing <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/11\/10\/us\/missouri-football-players-protest-presidents-resigns\/index.html\">recent student protests<\/a> on racial oppression in higher education, arguing that face-to-face, human demonstrations are still the most effective form of protest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to imagine that if all those students at the University of Missouri had gathered in a chat room they would have made nearly as much of a difference as they have,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to tell people what to think. You have to be able to explain to them what to do \u2014 and that\u2019s engaging in real-world activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>USC Dornsife scholars give insight into the influence of online political activism on society and on participants\u2019 individual psyches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":6447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,17],"tags":[115,1003,955,915,108,112,600,95],"class_list":["post-6444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty","category-student","tag-activism","tag-dan-schnur","tag-jane-junn","tag-john-monterosso","tag-political-science","tag-psychology","tag-robert-shrum","tag-social-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - 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