One of my biggest pet peeves is when people claim they want change, and don’t follow through with their actions.
That by liking or sharing a photo of social media, a person’s work is done in regards to an issue.
When in reality, you’ve done nothing but make yourself feel good.
I found out in university that there was a term for this, and that term is slacktivism, which is described as actions done through the internet to support a cause by doing the bare minimum such as signing an online petition.
A couple of weeks ago, I was working on a story about a forum being held by the Moose Lake Watershed Society that had been organized as a result of a petition started that now has over 1,600 signatures.
As someone still relatively new to the area, I spent my time learning about the tests that have been done on Moose Lake and the blue-green algae warnings.
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With the outcry I saw online, I assumed residents would be biting at the bit to hear what has been done for the health of Moose Lake and to share suggestions on how to improve it.
I was off when the forum took place, and I heard through the grapevine that roughly 20 residents showed up.
While I didn’t think everyone who signed the petition would go, I did think there would be way more than that.
The only way projects like this succeed is if there’s support from the community, along with the municipalities and local groups doing what they can.
It’s going to require a lot more than signing an online petition, and yelling into the void that is the internet.
The petition got the attention everyone wanted, but what do you do once you have the attention?
You step up, and brainstorm ideas about how to face the challenge in front of you.
Along with giving people the feeling good for ‘standing’ up for something, slacktivism makes people feel like they’ve actually done something to help the cause.
They think with a simple click, the hard work is done and someone else will use their support to get the work done.
But, what if everyone thinks that way?
If everyone thinks someone else is going to do something about it, the chances of no one doing anything are pretty high.
Change requires a lot more than signing up for a petition online, and hoping someone else makes a difference.
