The effect of online activism on the phenomenon of social engagement evokes several contrasting opinions, demonstrated by the works of Noland (2017) and Gladwell (2010), who highlighted the difference between weak social ties (bridging) and strong connections (bonding) formed as a result of online activism. While Gladwell (2010) suggests that online activism cannot provide the same level of engagement since it primarily focuses on bridging, which does not attract people to create strong ties with each other, Noland (2017) states that slacktivism – low-effort social media activism – can lead to the traditional method of activism, and therefore creates strong social connections between people. According to Noland (2017), if individuals partake in slacktivism, they are highly likely to continue their effort in other forms of social engagement as well. Moreover, he proclaims that “so-called slacktivism are more activists than slackers” (Noland, 2017, p. 47). He also implies that though online activism can seem to be far less engaging, particularly in high-risk scenarios, it encourages people to commit to other forms of activism. This opinion does not correspond to the one supported by Gladwell.
The author’s opinions on the impact of social media activism on the level of successfulness in resolving low-risk as well as high-risk problems also contradict others For instance, Gladwell (2010) states that donating a few cents for a noble cause on Facebook can make a substantial difference if there are more than a million participants. Such situations transparently show that online activism can be immensely successful by uniting many people and lowering the required motivation level (Gladwell, 2010). On the other hand, Noland makes a slightly different conclusion, stating that slacktivism is not as successful as other online activism forms in terms of problem resolution (Noland, 2017, p. 50). He claims that people might use online activism to boost their public image instead of helping those in need. Hence, Noland doubts that all types of online activism can lead to successful resolutions of relevant social problems.
References
Gladwell, M. (2010). Small change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted. The New Yorker.
Noland, A. (2017). Social media activists: Analyzing the relationship between online activism and offline attitudes and behaviors. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 6(2), 26-55.