Slacktivism

Someone was telling me about an online petition the other day and we were discussing the likelihood that it would reach 100,000 signatures. My friend felt pretty confident that it would and I asked the question "Does it really matter though?"

I know that sounds shocking from someone who has a blog with the word 'activist' in it and who you would thinkwould consider petitions as being as essential as oxygen.

What I meant was; how effective are online petitions? There are certain levels of effectiveness for different tactics of pressure for change.

For instance, I don't know how many times I've been told that 1 person writing a letter regarding an issue usually means that 4 more people feel the same way but only 1 took the time to write. I have no scientific data on that, I've heard it a few places and it makes sense. So if a politician receives 10,000 letters, they will likely assume that 50,000 people feel the same way.

The same works for a petition although the numbers are probably smaller (again-no actual proof).

In addition, I feel that the longer a person invests in communicating their feelings will decide the impact it has. It also usually means that it's harder for the recipient to dismiss the argument. I know from personal experience that governments will use an excuse to consider a signature on petition invalid- "couldn't read a postal code", "Wrote a City and Country but no Province".

These were all the reasons, I explained to my friend was why I didn't think it mattered if this particular petition got more than 100,000 signatures- the online petition is just too convenient and like most things electronic- easy to delete. I didn't have any scientific proof or data, just experience and a certain view.

I'm convinced I came across as a jaded old person who used pessimism as an excuse not to try to initiate change but oh well.

I also felt like it could hurt other campaigns-if all online petitions are getting 100,000 signatures or more- then it raises the bar for all petitions to have some sort of impact.

In summary, the reason I tell you is because there has been an article that confirms and articulates my feelings much better and I feel validated.

A new term for the online activism has also been coined: Slactivism.

Ultimately, I think online activism is a powerful and positive thing and maybe it will challenge us to stand out with more creative tactics. I'm just wary of trying to cause real change when the solution seems too easy.