How is Performative Activism Perpetuated in Social Media?

By Maddie Possamai, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place

Image from: Maddie Possamai

With the rise of social media influencers along with accessible information through social media, performative activism has taken the internet by storm in recent years. Performative activism can be defined as when one's words or support for social justice causes does not accurately align with their actions. In recent years, due to the influx of Instagram infographics and a constant stream of new information, performative activism has taken shape when social media users consistently post about social justice issues but do not act the same way towards the issue outside of social media. The stream of accessible media and information comes with its pros and cons as it is accessible to more people as more and more people are on social media. But this also means it easily gets into the hands of social media influencers who use social justice issues to appear educated or build credibility among their followers as well as those who do not act the way they post.

One of the most memorable acts of performative activism among influencers and social media posts was the black square during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd due to police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement was in full swing on social media and in person, as many protests occurred as well. On social media, a “black square” movement occurred where many people posted a black square on Instagram with the caption “#blackouttuesday” to stand in solidarity with the movement. As many people posted the square to show support for the movement, many influencers just used this to establish authenticity to their followers, gain new followers, and show that they “supported” the Black Lives Matter movement. However, today many of the influencers and celebrities that would post about Black Lives Matter then have stopped posting about social justice issues. Black people still experience police brutality daily even if people are not posting about it. 

Other instances of performative activism include when one posts about certain social justice issues or supports a minority group but then associates themselves with those who directly go against those issues. Selena Gomez is a good example as she has spoken out on many social justice issues but has worked with Woody Allen, who has a plethora of sexual assault allegations. This goes along with celebrities who have been called out for being racist, such as doing blackface but then supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. According to Sandrine Jacquot, a writer at the Observer, many people have “an urge to ‘look good by doing good’” on social media as many people's lives are on display, however, their online thoughts do not correlate with their in-person actions. One cannot post and support the Black Lives Matter movement while consistently hanging out with racist individuals. Online activism without in-person change is solely performative.

Despite being incredibly accessible, the information that is constantly flowing on social media platforms creates limitations on activism outside of the online world. Performative activism may be successful in spreading awareness about issues but it is limited in creating tangible change. As stated above, many people tend to prioritize appearances when posting on social media, which creates a rather surface-level engagement. Even though social media makes it easy to post and spread awareness about certain issues, it also makes it easier for others to scroll past and ignore those issues. The biggest target in recent years has been Instagram Stories where you simply have to tap the screen to move past the story. When everyone's Instagram Story contains an infographic, it makes it easier for others to simply tap past it quickly. For example, the last time I posted something on my Instagram Story, I was able to see that over half of the viewers just skipped through it. 

To move beyond the limitations of performative activism, solidified change is required. As stated earlier, activism without solidified change, or change outside of the online world, is strictly performative. The best way to move beyond surface-level activism online is to advocate outside of the online world. Examples include voting, volunteering, and donating. More accessible initiatives include amplifying the voices of marginalized communities or educating oneself outside of online engagement. Even though online activism provides more accessible and readily available information, it has become inherently performative with the rise of social media influencers and the desire to appear a certain way online. Activism without change outside of the online spectrum is solely performative activism as it does not allow for sustainable change. Advocacy outside of the online world such as education, voting, and uplifting others allows for the gap between online activism and in-person to be filled, creating sustainable and lasting change in society as a whole.

References

[1] Alfaro, Cindy. “Performative Activism Kills, There Needs to be More Pressure to Vote.” The Cougar. May 30, 2022. https://thedailycougar.com/2022/05/30/performative-activism-kills-more-pressure-to-vote/

[2] Jacquot, Sandrine. “Social Media Activism: Accessible or Performative?” The Observer. January 20, 2022. https://theobserver-qiaa.org/social-media-activism-accessible-or-performative

[3] Thimsen, Freya. “What is Performative Activism.” Scholarly Publishing Collective. April 1, 2022. https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/p-n-r/article-abstract/55/1/83/297925/What-Is-Performative-Activism?redirectedFrom=fulltext

[4] Wellman, Mariah. “Black Squares for Black Lives? Performative Allyship as Credibility Maintenance for Social Media Influencers on Instagram.” Sage Journals. February 24, 2022. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20563051221080473#body-ref-bibr4-20563051221080473

Maddie Possamai is a rising junior at Wheaton College in Massachusetts majoring in Political Science with minors in Journalism and Visual Arts. At Wheaton College she is currently working on creating a Commuters Organization on campus to advocate for more benefits for commuter students. After graduating college, Maddie hopes to work in Political Journalism. 

Accountability and Change

Image by Paige MacKinnon

AN INTERVIEW WITH REPRESENTATIVE MATTIE DAUGHTRY

BY PAIGE MACKINNON

“We all talk about 2016 being the year of the woman, but what we are about to walk into is the year of accountability on many different fronts.”

— Mattie Daughtry

Representative Mattie Daughtry has been my state representative for eight years and is now running for the District 24 seat on the Maine State Senate. Having met her before and having been her constituent for eight years, I knew that she was passionate, forward-thinking, and driven toward change, but after our interview, I know that she and many other legislators are ready to bring about change and that there is a lot of work that can be done outside of political office.

Accountability

One part of our conversation that really stood out was Mattie’s perspective on what the upcoming election will bring to the political landscape. Representative Daughtry said; 

“We all talk about 2016 being the year of the woman, but what we are about to walk into is the year of accountability on so many different fronts. I want to be able to go home and talk care of my child…I want to make sure I am able to live in my area with access to safe water, I want to make sure that I actually have a chance to survive in my neighborhood. Things are going to change.”

We see that now. Across the nation and the world, conversations around government’s accountability to its citizens and society’s accountability to the world more broadly are occurring. These conversations and the issues they are addressing, such as clean water rights, BIPOC rights and safety, healthcare, climate change, poverty, and education, are not new. However, many of these issues are gaining more attention as the pandemic tears down long-standing structures in our society, and this attention is bringing with it a call for politicians to take responsibility and enact real change. But what can we as citizens do, especially those who aren’t yet eligible to vote, to continue these conversations and ensure that those actions toward accountability are taken? 

The Impact of Young People

In her interview, Representative Daughtry emphasized that there are many changes that need to happen in the coming years and that young people can have an impact in the upcoming election and in the policies that are established in the following years both nationally and locally. In high school, she was involved in voter registration drives to ensure that her peers were voting when she could not. She recommends that the best way for students to make an impact is by being involved in whatever way they can like she did in High School when she organized voter registration drives. This could be working on voter turnout, canvassing and helping on campaigns both local and national, or organizing protests and teach-ins. 

She also encourages holding your representative accountable; Representative Daughtry herself looks at letters and input from the students she speaks to as a guide for her policymaking. Recently, she has seen a shift in student engagement toward very real issues as elementary classrooms discuss climate change and various youth movements gain momentum fighting for justice and equality across the United States. This increase in action is why she sees 2020 as the year of accountability. 

Who can be involved in politics? Everyone.

One of the more powerful and effective political actions you can take is running for office when you see a problem that is not being addressed. When I asked Representative Daughtry what advice she would give young women who are considering running for office, she said, “Just do it.” When she became a Maine legislator, she did not have a law degree, she was not over forty-five, and she did not have a picket fence and two and a half children. She did have conviction, passion, and an ability to listen, the three things she sees as what qualifies someone for office.

Her advice: think about what matters to you and what makes you passionate about your community and use that because “when it comes to policy, government impacts all of our lives at any age whether you’re just born or whether you’re retiring….and what you have to offer and what you have to say is important.”  Your age and your experience do not and cannot restrict your engagement in your local, state, and national politics.

Why We Riot

BY: SOPHIA CASTEN, SUMMER 2020 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

As we move, sit, protest, and isolate through the 51st anniversary of Pride Month, it is imperative to call upon white and non-Black members of the LGBTQ+ community, like myself, to recognize the roots of our celebratory month and its relevance given the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. The recent riots that took place across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis and many more people like him, have gained copious amounts of criticism across political parties and social identities including from members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Though the criticism is widespread, it is imperative to remember that Pride month was created from a series of riots. Specifically, the Cooper Do-Nuts Riot, The Black Cat Tavern riot, Gene Compton’s Café Riot, and most famously, The Stonewall Riots. The culmination of these riots, which were often led by trans people of color, were in direct response to homophobic and transphobic police violence that plagued the LGBTQ+ community for decades prior to the rioting. It is really easy to forget about the beginnings of Pride when it is now a celebration trademarked with rainbows, sexual liberation, and nation-wide parades and not violence, criminalization, and blatant police brutality. 

I urge members of the LGBTQ+ community, including allies, to see the Black Lives Matter riots and protests happening now as a sign of a revolution that could turn into a celebration. Just as Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman, is hailed for throwing the first brick at Stonewall, we must hail the young leaders, mainly women of color, who continue to organize and fight back against racist police brutality. Many women politicians who have been outspoken about social justice issues from the beginning are urging all supporters and members of the LGBTQ+ community to support the Black Lives Matter movement in its entirety. 

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (affectionately known as AOC), shared in a June 1st 2020 tweet that she, along with a few other politicians, introduced a resolution “calling on the FDA to allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood without discrimination.” During a global pandemic where blood donation is necessary and where Black people are disproportionately impacted by the virus, prohibiting members of the LGBTQ+ community from donating is “especially cruel.” Continuously, we are seeing Black and non-Black members of the LGBTQ+ community speak out against racial injustice while remembering the beginnings of Pride over 50 years ago. 

Activists have been diligent in sharing resources that folks can donate to/support, if able. Below is a list of organizations and groups that support Black LGBTQ+ rights. 

https://www.glitsinc.org/

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/support

https://marshap.org/donate/

https://my.truecolorsunited.org/give/118989/#!/donation/checkout

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Sophia Casten is a rising junior at Smith College majoring in Government with a certificate in Reproductive Health Rights and Justice. She is a Yoga teacher and a Community Health Organizer at the Smith Wellness Center and is passionate about spreading inclusive wellness practices. Sophia is interested in reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights advocacy, and public policy reform.