Challenging Gladwell's Perception of Activism

Within the first ten months of 2015, forty out of sixty-five countries had imprisoned at least one person for content posted on social media (Vara). The content that caused the imprisonment was typically controversial activism. Throughout the last decade, activism using social media on websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has greatly increased. It is frequently used as a tool to promote online activism through the organization of protests, rallies, and fundraisers. Social media has also been used to spread awareness of current issues that activists are attempting to address. Activism that has utilized the tools of social media has been quite successful. However, in his essay, “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted,” Malcolm Gladwell uses his own definition of activism to argue that social media can play no part in true activism. However, the recent successes of several modern protests, rallies, meetings, and assemblies do not completely support Gladwell’s definition; instead, their success shows that while social media cannot directly cause a revolution, it has a significant role in present-day activism.

Within Gladwell’s definition of activism he states that actions must be high-risk in order to be considered activism. However, activism is technically defined as “the doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue” (“Activism”). This dictionary definition of activism does not mention any type of risk that must be present in order for an action to be considered activism; therefore, this definition disproves Gladwell’s assertion that activism must be high-risk. Gladwell also argues that social media activism does not have any risks. He provides descriptions of the American civil rights movement and describes the various

dangerous, high-risk actions that the participants of this movement participated in. While social media activism may not have quite as high of a risk as the civil rights movement did, it does not occur without risk. In some countries posting or liking a certain comment or joining a specific group can lead to imprisonment. In a study completed by Freedom House, a non-governmental research organization, forty of the sixty-five countries that were studied throughout 2015 have detained people for content they shared over social media (Vara). A second risk of social media activism is the harassment from those that disagree with the cause that is being supported. This harassment could come in multiple forms, both online and offline. For instance, if one joins a Facebook group or retweets a tweet that stands for a social movement, they could become a target for persecution. They could face cyber-harassment, as well as offline physical violence. The victims may not be attending a protest or demonstration when they are targeted with this violence which makes certain types of activism through social media just as dangerous as other forms of activism.
Gladwell uses a historical example to show how a major activist movement occurred without the use of social media.

He argues that the civil rights movement in the 1960s was successful even though social media was not a factor during this time. A similar, present-day example of activism would be the LGBT movement that has gained recognition throughout the last few years. While the LGBT movement would still be possible without social media, it is clear that social media has helped organize and increase awareness for this movement. For example, the “It Gets Better Project” was a social media campaign that attempted (successfully) to increase LGBT support and decrease bullying. Within three years, over 50,000 people, including prominent figures, had created and uploaded videos to show their support for this movement (“Social Media and the LGBT Community”). Along with raising awareness, social media has also helped to schedule protests and demonstrations within this movement. While the achievements of the LGBT community would have eventually occurred without the use of social media tools, it certainly helped expedite the process of achieving their goals. A more convenient way to share ideas and organize demonstrations, which contributed to increased awareness, helped to bring this issue into the view of politicians and the government. As a result, they worked to create equal legislation that benefited the LGBT

community.
While joining a Facebook group or participating in a Twitter hashtag doesn’t mean you are playing an enormous, direct role in a campaign, you are contributing something: awareness. Raising awareness is a major goal of activism and could be argued to be the most important part. Without awareness, many demonstrations, protests, and rallies would not reach the amount of participation that they currently have. Social media was designed to be able to connect and communicate with friends, families, colleagues, and others. Social media websites allow this communication to occur faster and more efficiently. Social media increases awareness through the use of hashtags, pages that can be liked, posts that can be shared, and lastly, communication with others. In 2014, a major social media activist movement was the ALS ice bucket challenge which utilized the hashtag #ALSIceBucketChallenge across a variety of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. A common misconception is that this movement didn’t accomplish anything, but without this program many people would be unaware of the ALS disease. Due to this new awareness, the ALS Association has seen increased participation in many of its events and activities. For example, the Walk to Defeat ALS has seen a 30 to 100 percent increase in the number of registrations depending on the location (“Ice Bucket”). While this movement didn’t raise large amounts of money or find a cure for ALS, it raised awareness which can be just as important to the goals of activists.
Gladwell uses several statistics to show that social media increases participation, but lessens motivation. He argues that social media activism is successful in motivating to do things that people typically do when they are not motivated enough to make an actual sacrifice. The statistics he uses to demonstrate this point involve the low amount of money donated per person within two Facebook groups. While the lack of fundraising may be true, the previously mentioned ALS ice bucket challenge can be used to argue that the awareness raised by social media activism can occasionally be more important than the funds raised.
Gladwell’s primary argument is that revolution cannot be caused by social media. He claims that social media cannot play in any part in what he considers “true” activism. While I agree with his idea that a revolution cannot be caused purely by social media, I find that Gladwell does not convincingly provide the necessary evidence to prove that social media does not play a role in activism. Social media has been shown to greatly influence present-day campaigns through the use of increased awareness and organization.