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.