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How Social Media Got Activism Very, Very Wrong
Black squares, Instagram infographics and “google it”
Over the last decade activism has slowly moved from the ‘IRL’ to the online. The last year has seen both an unparalleled rise in political discontent and historic restrictions on the ability to organise in person. As a result, the years-long trend towards online activism has accelerated exponentially. If you’re a person who has used the internet at any point in the last year, you’ve inevitably seen black squares, Instagram infographics and links to petitions posted on social media — you may have even posted some yourself.
While in-person activism is irreplaceable, the potential of online activism can’t be under-stated. The power given to us through social media:- the ability to reach thousands of people across the world in minutes without leaving your desk is incredible — that is, if used correctly. There has been some genuinely impressive online organising that has taken place over the last year, but too often it has felt as though many people’s attempts at online activism have done more to virtue signal than they have to change minds.
The now infamous black squares are a perfect example of this. Originally used within the music industry as a symbol to show that an artist was abstaining from releasing music on June 2nd 2020…
