Social Media Activism At Exeter

By: Arhon Strauss

“Save the Amazon!” 

“Black Lives Matter!” 

“LGBTQ+ rights!” 

Such catchphrases and  messages have lost their value due to their sheer volume. Social media has actively harmed the movements they aim to further. Such messages pop into view as we swipe; we repost them and then let them disappear. It’s a monotonous cycle, one not fit to convey the important messages we task it with.

The strength and weakness of social media lies in its ease of use. Being easy to use allows people to spread large amounts of information quickly and with little effort, however, the speed and quantity of news frequently diminish its importance. “Attention Manipulation and Information Overload,” written by Petra Persson, an Assistant Professor in Economics at Stanford University, details the deterioration of our ability to process and act on information as more sources compete for our attention. While Persson applies this process to the average consumer, this principle is successfully applied to highlight the faults of social media.

Every story, every post, every issue is competing for our attention. As we encounter more information, we begin to tune ideas out. Actions worthy of deliberation become a “proverbial needle in a haystack.”

Because of the quantity of information we encounter, we effectively become unable to decide or act on any specific issue. Stories, which seem to be the most common form of spread, are set up so they disappear after 24 hours. The short time frame during which stories are available to view further compounds the issue, overwhelming viewers with information which is only temporarily available. Thus, it becomes even harder for viewers to actually act on any of the posts they observe.

Beyond being ineffective, social media activism is disingenuous. Exeter has become a progressive echo chamber, one which  pressures students to appear more socially active than they are. Due to the large volume of conformity political claims, the average viewer often feels pressured to share worldly information online, even if they don’t truly care about it. A performative mindset has rooted itself at Exeter, and it’s more destructive than beneficial.

Performative activism has peaked over the last year. Last June, many Exonians (alongside the rest of the nation) participated in Blackout Tuesday, where individuals posted black squares to raise awareness about the Black Lives Matter movement. It was impossible to look through Instagram or Facebook without having black squares fill your feed, but the effect of these posts was questionable at best and insignificant at worst. Exonians likely expected the cumulative impact of these actions to be significant. But the only result was a large amount of students posting without engaging in any further reading or research. Eight months later, many have not updated their resources or distributed any further plans for action. These actions were purely performative.

A performative mindset actively detracts from the movements it is meant to support, leading to disingenuous action in place of real progression towards the movement’s goals. The average Exonian is typically already aware of many liberal issues due to standard news, personal experiences and school initiatives. In fact, despite the performative nature of some students’ posts, I believe that many students, if not most, legitimately do care about the issues they champion on social media. 

Exonians are busy people. Between clubs, sports and other academic requirements, we often don’t have time for much else. Time constraints created by our lifestyle often prevent us from pursuing other endeavors. As such, it is very easy to seek out the easiest way to contribute - posting on social media fulfills this urge. Making a real contribution to a social issue takes time and effort, which is exactly the problem with social media: it allows you to believe you are enacting change with minimal effort, which you are not. Instead of sharing information on social media, Exonians should be rallying, organizing and funding the causes they care about.

John Monterosso, a professor in psychology at the University of Southern California, explained social media activism as an easy outlet for social energy. Social media allows people to feel they are being supportive despite having very little actual effect. Reposting has become a means of self-gratification and online activism a form of civic self-indulgence. 

The manner in which social media interacts with the human mind leads to inaction, despite our best intentions. As Exonians, we must challenge ourselves to go beyond posting and act in ways which produce tangible contributions to the issues we care about. We cannot continue to rely on social media to procure societal change; we must ensure such change by our own hands.