What is the Point (and Click) of Digital Activism and Protest?

Activism and protesting for what one believes in can often be an incredibly time-consuming effort, which may end up leading to no clear results. The same can be said for online activism through social media and other digital platforms, however, the advantages that these new media hold can create a much more active and wider-reaching campaign or goal.

The Dynamics of Culture Jamming

“Culture jamming” has existed long before ore social media, with “jamming” describing the act of disrupting radio broadcasts with obscenities (Dery 2020). Culture jamming in contemporary media is more specifically the idea of combating cultural hegemonies through media tools and technology, as seen with the #metoo movement. This digital protest became re-popularised in 2017, igniting from the sexual assault claims of Harvey Weinstein where the simple type or click of the Metoo hashtag instantly birthing a “modern anti-sexual assault and sexual harassment movement” overnight (Abrams 2018, p. 750). Through the media platform of Twitter that was largely operated by celebrities and wealthy public figures, this hashtag and form of resistance challenged the corruption of many celebrities through a platform that previously had the most control over. This method of instantly informing and protesting with and against countless people worldwide has only been made possible through the digital communities that exist within the confines of the Internet and its capabilities for change.

A Convenient Society

However, simplicity can also lead to a lack of results or change in the digital landscape. “Subactivism”, often referred to in a more negative connotation as “slacktivism”, is politics that is “submerged in the flow of everday life”, with an example being the mainstream use of #metoo or protest sites like Change.org (Bakardjieva 2009, p. 92). This can be seen as many to be a form of “slacktivism”, or “clicktivism” in Internet terms, with these simple clicks being so convenient to perform that any number of signature or shares of a movement is seen as inconsequential. However, a more optimistic mindset may argue that these activities that are integrated seamlessly into our social media presence can assist in thriving civic energy and are important democratic factors in an individual’s reality (Bakardjieva 2009, p. 103). This brings forth the question of whether more pressure is needed to create change in a digital society through culture jamming within contexts of hegemony such as Twitter. If activism is only executed in safe spaces where the tools are provided like Change.org, then will these protests truly reach their maximum potential?

The research and discussion surrounding activism and protest in our contemporary structures has provided various Internet lingo like the aforementioned “culture jamming” and “subactivism”. These have provided sufficient evidence to suggest that change must occur where it is least expected for the opposing system. Or else... what is the point of digital activism?

References

Abrams, J. (2018). THE #METOO MOVEMENT: AN INVITATION FOR FEMINIST CRITIQUE OF RAPE CRISIS FRAMING, University of Richmond Law Review (pp. 749- 793). Retrieved from https://lawreview.richmond.edu/files/2018/10/Abrams-AC-524.pdf.

Bakardjieva, M. (2009). Subactivism: Lifeworld and Politics in the Age of the Internet, The Information Society (pp. 91-104). Taylor & Francis Group.

Dery, M. (2020). Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing, and Sniping in the Empire of Signs [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.markdery.com/books/culture-jamming-hacking-slashing-and-sniping-in-the-empire-of-signs-2/.