Convenient Activism

Whilst going through the reading for Friday about activism and social media, I began thinking more and more about Malcolm Gladwell's piece "Small Change". The majority of what he wrote are all points I agreed with. First off, I am not highly active on social media. I have a Twitter account that I occasionally use to express entertaining thoughts throughout the day (I think they're entertaining). Anyway, when reading this article I came to the conclusion that social activism has lost its meaning as technology becomes more prevalent in our daily lives. The "Save Darfur" campaign on Facebook, for instance, has allowed users and proponents of this group to believe they are making a change by simply joining a group. Do most of these users know that these atrocities have been occurring in Darfur since the early 2000's? Or did they feel compelled to join this group because George Clooney and Radiohead supported the efforts in Darfur? Either way, I think Gladwell was spot-on when saying the days of activism such as the 1960 Woolworth's sit-in have unfortunately been forgotten and downplayed. Networks such as Facebook and Twitter have little to no organization, making them ineffective. Granted, "networks" can amass a following quickly, there are virtually no "priorities" in these networks; that's to say, as soon as people hit the "logout" icon on their accounts, they have completely forgotten about the "cause"they hold so dearly. Ultimately, social media is a great way of communicating and letting people know how you feel and what you are thinking. However, I personally do not think that it actually breeds a climate for change. Social media allows people to believe they are "proactive", when, in reality, they are not going to the lengths that Martin Luther King Jr. and the proprietors of the Civil Rights Movement went, as well as possessing the dedication for change. Unfortunately, priorities lie in retrieving a lost cell phone for a "Wall Streeter" as Gladwell stated at the end of "Small Change".