#Slacktivism | Nazhlah Thompson | TEDxShakerHS
The speaker asserts that contemporary Gen Z activism, reliant on social media performance like black square posts or simple slogans, is mostly performative and fails to create lasting, substantial change. Drawing on examples like Black Lives Matter, the speaker argues that genuine action requires tangible efforts, such as direct political lobbying or organizing, rather than mere digital expression. The speaker urges listeners to move beyond superficial online engagement toward sustained, real-world activism, citing figures like Malala and Greta Thunberg as models for impact. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker giving a critique of modern social media activism. - The speaker frames the discussion around the effectiveness of Generation Z (born 1997–2012) activism. - The speaker maintains that while the intent of young activists is often genuine, the execution is often performative and lacks substance. ## Theses & Positions - The majority of today’s teenagers’ activism is inherently performative and achieves nothing of substance, leaving only a feeling of moral fulfillment. - Social media activism, such as posting black squares or slogans, is insufficient to solve major societal issues; it risks people calling it a day prematurely. - Genuine activism must move beyond platforms like Instagram and Twitter into real-world actions. - Ideal activists do not just post screenshots of random tweets but engage in tangible efforts like volunteering, organizing protests, or calling elected officials. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Performative activism:** Action intended primarily for public appearance or social acknowledgment, rather than actual effect. - **Genuine activism:** Tangible efforts like volunteering, organizing protests, writing letters, or calling officials. ## Timeline & Sequence - **2/6/2020:** Date of Blackout Tuesday, eight days after George Floyd's murder. - **Timeframe of Gen Z:** Members born from 1997 to 2012. ## Named Entities - **Malala:** Person who spoke out about the importance of girls' education after the Taliban took control of her town and continued fundraising after being shot in the head. - **Gretta Thunberg:** Swedish environmentalist who protested outside the Swedish parliament for climate action, organized student strikes, and spoke at the U.N. Climate Action Summit; became the youngest Time’s Person of the Year. - **Emma Gonzalez:** Survivor from the 2018 Stoneman Douglas shooting who gave speeches advocating for gun control and helped organize the March for Our Lives. - **Joe Biden:** Person announced as president-elect. - **Kamala Harris:** Vice president figure whose fan cam was circulated. ## Numbers & Data - Gen Z birth range: **1997 to 2012**. - Black Lives Matter incident reference: **2/6/2020**. - Likes on Kamala Harris fan cam: **2.8 million**. - Year of Stoneman Douglas shooting: **2018**. ## Examples & Cases - **Blackout Tuesday (2/6/2020):** Millions posted black squares under #BlackoutTuesday to show support for Black Lives Matter and mourn police brutality, but this was criticized for silencing useful posts like GoFundMe campaigns. - **Performative Instagram posts:** White girls posting sparkly pink aesthetic posts saying, *"Hello Kitty says acab and my Melody says punch racists"* while vaguely mentioning Black Lives Matter. - **Political Idolization:** Gen Z activists idolizing politicians within their party, treating them like a favorite actor or singer, thereby feeding the performative nature of activism. - **The Biden Fan Cam:** A TikTok video of a sparkly fan cam of Kamala Harris set to Meghan Trainor's "No," with the caption *"Listen up, we stand by our vice president to be"* which garnered **2.8 million** likes. - **Successful activism models:** Malala's advocacy, Gretta Thunberg’s organizing, and Emma Gonzalez's work organizing the March for Our Lives. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker acknowledges that social media platforms are effective tools for *a journey* but questions if they can solve *real-world issues* alone. - The speaker concedes that putting BLM in an Instagram bio is *"a great start."* ## Conclusions & Recommendations - To bring about change, it is essential to detach activism from solely being executed on Instagram and Twitter. - Concrete steps recommended include donating time by volunteering, organizing and attending protests, writing letters, or calling state and local officials. ## Implications & Consequences - If society continues down the path of only engaging in the bare minimum of activism, "the pain for some will never end," leading to societal deterioration. ## Verbatim Moments - *"The truth is that the majority of today’s teenagers’ activism is inherently performative and simply accomplishes nothing of substance."* - *"What does a plain black picture on your feed do to help the issue at hand?"* - *"It’s like they’re mocking those that their activism is supposedly helping and blatantly expressing that they care more about personal gain than helping others."* - *"We need change now!"* (random tweet example) - *"If we continue down this path of turning a blind eye once done with the bare minimum, the pain for some will never end."* - *"If we all take steps towards genuine activism like the young and prominent women I mentioned, think about how much we could change the wrongdoings in our world."*