Fake Fan: The Risk of Social Movements on Social Media

Social media gives us the opportunity to learn about hot-button issues from the profiles of people with whom we have a relationship. This platform gives us the chance to weigh in on the topics which we choose to support. Through the use of hashtags, we insert their own thoughts into a pool of everyone else’s. With social media, we feel the desire to contribute to social changes and influence the world with our own voices. (We also want to show friends and followers our relevance in social trends while wearing cute campaign t-shirts.)

All Talk, No Show

The KONY 2012 movement is an example of ineffective social movement marketing. 

In case you don’t remember, KONY 2012, or #StopKony, was the mass awareness campaign created to expose and stop the guerilla warlord, Joseph Kony. In March of 2012, a non-profit organization named Invisible Children released a half-hour long video about Joseph Kony, a guerilla warlord in Uganda who must be stopped. It goes on to explain how US citizens could unite to end his atrocities. The video immediately went viral, collecting seven-million views in one week. Additionally, the terms “Uganda” and “Invisible Children” went straight to Twitter’s top 10 trending searches. Invisible Children collected donations, the media surged with news about him, and people pledged to partner with the organization to appeal to the US government to take a stand against him.

However, people forgot the entire campaign just as quickly as they heard about it. KONY 2012 excelled in creating a personal, attractive, accessible message, but it didn't create any sense of practical, sustainable action. 

A danger of social movement marketing is the quick bandwagon appeal it provides activist followings. Coined “slacktivism”, social media creates a space for people to show their support without taking any real action. Yes, they may follow the movement online, use the hashtag, and take photos of themselves wearing the t-shirt, but social media never forces them to actually become a part of the solution.

The March for Our Lives campaign is a much better example of effective movements that employ social media. To participate in this campaign, students must unite with their peers and participate in the walk-outs promoting gun control. A nationwide campaign, students could experience solidarity in their controversial actions. While March for Our Lives has the social media trendiness of #StopKony, people are included in the movement not by a hashtag or a follow, but by a literal action. The widespread following of March for Our Lives uses social media to unite and support other schools in their walk-out demonstrations. Taking part in a physical demonstration, students were able to show their government just how unhappy they are with the ways in which they handle safety in schools. Not only did they "like" and "share" posts to draw attention, they actually took part and shared their experience on a platform.

These walkouts received abundant attention from politicians, who also showed their support on—you guessed it—social media. 

The effects of social movement marketing only last if they are specific, accessible, and require practical effort. While it is important to make campaigns flashy and attractive, it's important that people engage for real reasons. Someone who posts a video of themselves at a rally will build a more engaged audience than someone sharing a passive graphic with a hashtag.

Who Needs the Spotlight?

The exposition of racial stratification in the United States rightfully has a presence on social media, for it remains to be at the forefront of injustice. Furthermore, the inequitable detainment and incarceration of people of color in the United States should be amplified with a social media campaign. 

Social influencers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter could highlight the intersection of incarceration and race by creating a space for statistics, stories, and support for victims of inequitability. By encouraging their followers to take an active stance against social stratification, influencers could highlight the injustices against people of color. For instance, they could encourage followers to attend Lobby Days and meet with policymakers in their government.

The Bottom Line...

Giving people the opportunity to take a part in the movement and share their involvement with others is the way to make social change exciting. However, fostering their engagement in the right ways is what actually makes change happen with lasting effects. Simply allowing followers to jump on a bandwagon won't make a huge difference unless they are pushed to engage with lawmakers, have conversations with friends, and change their own actions.