#slacktivism at it's worse

[testure-1988]

People on this website: FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🍉🍉🍉🍉🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

Palesinians: Since you support our cause, can you please help us escape the current genocide by donating. It doesn't have to be a lot. Pretty please?

People on this website:

[is-the-fire-real]

Another bit on the pro-Pal fandom, this one axiomatic

Being a good person is not the same thing as pretending as though you believe you are a good person.

Being a good person takes work. You have to do stuff. Doing stuff is hard. Doing good stuff is harder, because you have to put thought into determining what you think is good beforehand. That requires self-reflection, honesty, a willingness to challenge oneself, and taking in information from other people to verify that your concept of "good" is, well, good.

The nice part is that once you evaluate what is good and start doing good things, it becomes easier. You gain inner calm, peace, and even joy.

("Good" is not always the same as "necessary". Necessary work can be a slog, or it can be horrific. But there can still be a calming satisfaction at the core, the security that this is necessary and therefore worthwhile.)

Pretending to believe you are a good person takes less immediate work. You don't have to do anything that positively impacts the real world, and you don't have to do any of that annoying, time-consuming self examination. But in the long run, it's more exhausting. By far.

You are insecure about whether or not you are a good person. You're pretending to believe you are good. You can't feel secure in something you pretend to believe. That insecurity gnaws at you, especially when you engage in bad behavior--harassment, doxxing, posting gore, swarming tags, encouraging and promoting suicide among your fellow "activists", telling your opponents to kill themselves, stalking, spamming unrelated content with literal Nazi propaganda.

None of those are good things good people do. And you understand that. You would think someone was bad if they did those things to you. The cognitive dissonance between who you want to be and who you really are, as determined by your actions, is scary. It's painful. It rears up every time someone you have labeled a Zio colonizer scumbag asks you to please just stop and you remember a time when you begged someone--an abuser, a troll online, a 4channer, your parents--to just stop please just leave me alone.

That must feel terrifying, and again, it makes you insecure. It makes you question if you're doing the right thing.

So you do the work to pretend to believe you are good. And that's far more work than goes into being good.

You recruit others, and all of you agree that you will pretend together. Tabletop gaming has taught us how powerful this imaginative play can be. You all reassure each other that you are good and you are right. But since you're all lying to each other, that means you must spend more, and more, and more time every day telling each other that you are good, chasing that high, that feeling that you are a good person and your actions are justified.

You tell each other that your "opponents" in this "battle" are not people, so anything you say or do to and about them is okay. You look at lists of "dehumanizing tactics" and instead of internalizing what those lists are teaching you, you go: "Ah, so if I don't use the word 'vermin', anything I say should be fine!" And then you say it.

You do not smile over good news. You only smile when one of your opponents logs off Tumblr because you made the site unusable and unsafe for them. (The expression you make there isn't really a smile, but we'll call it that, since the corners of your mouth do turn upward.) You tell yourself you're just attacking Zionists and pretend you do not see how you're really going after Jews.

No self-examination; that would mean admitting that you're lying to yourself and others. Instead, you traumatize and exhaust yourself until you're psychologically incapable of self-examination. You watch snuff films. You stare at mangled bodies until you're weeping and physically ill (certainly, you're too ill to check whether the video is real, or if it was taken from this conflict).

You force your beliefs into your fandom spaces so that others, the bad people, cannot escape their complicity in genocide.

But more importantly, you do that so you can't escape.

You cannot engage in any fandom but the pro-Pal fandom because that takes imaginative energy away from your biggest pretense--that you're a good person.

You are NOT hurting people because you are striking a blow for Palestinians. You are hurting people, including yourself, because you do not want to do the work of becoming a good person. You are afraid that self examination, at this point, will reveal to you that you are exactly the sort of person you believe you are fighting.

That fear, that insecurity, that dread, that restless sense that if you ever rest or stop or think for just a moment, you'll discover something awful? That's your conscience.

I do not ask you to change your mind about your political opponents. Your defenses are already on your lips and in your mind; a thousand How Dare Yous for me hinting that you look at other people as people. What I will ask you is to consider this.

I came to young adulthood just as Bush was elected, and the Iraq War post-9/11 was the first war I really followed as an adult. I did what you're doing now. I forced myself to look at photographs of destroyed bodies. I looked at photographs of torture perpetrated by US soldiers. I blogged about it obsessively.

I told myself that I was Doing My Part to end the war. But really, it's that the anxiety of being an American during the war made me insecure over whether or not I was responsible for all of this, and therefore, a bad person. If I pretended my looking at snuff photos was activism, and that it was good, then I could pretend to believe I was good and shout "Not in my name" at protests. I could deny my responsibility.

What I really did was traumatize myself. It's been almost twenty years. I can still see some of those torture pictures in my head. In the end, that is the extent of the impact of my online activism. The blogs are all long deleted, and nobody remembers them.

Only my trauma remains.

I do not want this for you. I want you to be wiser. There is still time. You can stop.

Stop hurting yourself and other people. Do the hard work. Examine yourself and your actions. Consider what your own heart is trying to tell you whenever you start to get the shakes and your throat gets tight. Do not take that feeling out on random people online because they have a Magen David in their pfp.

Once you have done the hard work, it gets easier. You will be able to advocate and work for whatever causes you believe in because you know they are good, not because you're joining your friends in cosplaying goodness. You will still be traumatized, and you will still be sad, and you'll definitely still get angry. You will have to face how you've acted exactly like your own past abusers, and that's a real tough row to hoe.

But at the end, you will be able to advocate and work because you want to, instead of feeling as though you must in order to keep up the masquerade.

[mitzvahmelting]

its not innocuous she was literally banned from manila also she follows white supremacist ivanka trump on instagram and stars in a deeply racist series homeland where she is called the 'drone queen' for bombing middleasterners

this is in reference to my comment on this post. for the record, i'm only doing this because i love conflict. but i acknowledge that this is a very silly and pointless conversation for us to be having. nevertheless, let's address each of these in turn:

"she was literally banned from Manila" yup she sure was! and, like, rightly so. she sure did shit on Manila in Vogue Magazine in 1998, and newly elected president (and former movie star himself) Joseph Estrada made a point to call her out on that and encourage the Manila City Council to ban her. All that said, on the scale of "racist things an ignorant american might have said in 1998", the particular set of comments isn't nearly as bad as, like, slurs or mask-off racism. They read more like "ignorant wealthy American putting foot in mouth when describing how shocked they were that poverty exists." Which, like, it was bad, but in an ignorant way, not a malicious way. And she apologized (again, in 1998. Which, again, was 25 years ago.) Like, idk, the ban from Manila feels like political theater. Cool for Estrada's publicity to get quoted defending the capital city from famous Americans saying rude things about it, but like. Hardly evidence that Claire Danes is an irredeemably evil person or anything. If she was, there would be more than just one incident in the past quarter century to reference. Also, Estrada was embezzling money from the government. So. idk, maybe Claire Danes was not the worst person in that particular news cycle.

"she follows white supremacist ivanka trump on instagram" yeah, i'm not even engaging on this one, buddy. i just never believe that "who you follow on social media" is sufficient evidence of someone's character. consuming content is not a political act. curating your following feed is not a political act. if she donated money to Trump, then we could talk. but following Ivanka on instagram is a nothingburger.

"stars in a deeply racist series homeland" okay so there's actually 2 parts to this. the first part is where you're saying "starring in a racist television show makes you a bad person" which means that every broke New York actor who ever guest-starred on Law & Order is persona non grata. That would be preposterous. The actors do not write the scripts. There might be individual cases where a role is so deeply harmful that you could argue the moral responsibility rests on the actor themselves (for example, blackface or yellowface, or unscripted television where the actor volunteers a racist sentiment without a script) but if we're talking about a major network television drama watched by millions of people, I think we're falling way short of that level of severity. the second part is where you're saying that Homeland is deeply racist. which, again, we're talking about a major network television drama watched by millions of people from 2011-2020. [as an aside, holy shit that show went on longer than i realized!!]. do i imagine the show has some major issues with its portrayal of brown people, just, like, based on its plot and provenance alone? absolutely. do i think that makes the show 'deeply racist'? i don't know, buddy, i don't think it's more racist than other shows and movies in the same genre. here's a good article about how Homeland fits into the media landscape of 2014, where the author concludes that it's certainly a problematic show, but its problems aren't unique. "Early on in the show’s run, they had a better grasp on how problematic the notion that the U.S. has to police the world is. But as the show has gone in different directions, they’ve occasionally forgotten that." (this is a really good moment to interject that writer's rooms are collaborative, and there's way more than just one voice in the pot.) speaking of -

"[in Homeland] she is called the 'drone queen' for bombing middleasterners" boy howdy, that sure sounds like a plot point about how drones are bad, and to remind the audience that it's chilling and wrong that the character Carrie is being congratulated in such a way!! not sure how you could possibly take that at face value as if it's a good thing. anyway, in the relevant episode, after being cheered as "the Drone Queen" by her colleagues, it is revealed that the drone strike which precipitated this offensive nickname actually killed forty civilians attending a wedding, a gruesome reminder of how drone strikes are an ethical shitshow. now, I'm not gonna comment on whether or not the show handles this topic well, because I'm pretty sure I only watched like half of season 1 or something, but at the very least, anon, whatever buddy-cop comedy TV-strawman setting you imagined the line "good job, drone queen!" took place in is clearly not at all the content of the actual television show you're talking about.

anyway, in conclusion, given the evidence presented, i don't get the impression that Claire Danes is any more racist than the median white american actress of her generation. (obviously i'm not going to say she's not racist, because we live in a Society, and most antiracist activists will tell you that it's not helpful to think of 'racism' as an outgroup that "Good People" are excluded from. rather, i'm just saying that she doesn't seem to be any more racist than the median white american actress of her generation.) anyway, thanks for giving me the opportunity to think critically for 45 min while writing this post. i sure miss doing that. fuck i should go back to school 😭

[drdemonprince]

autistic anon here again, thanks for fielding my question, you're a real one for not all toxic positivity on it. i guess i should've formulated things better, because i didn't mean to imply being completely wrapped up in decision paralysis to the point of doing nothing. that's a mental hurdle i've cleared a long time ago, so shit gets done. i have a few emails sitting in my inbox of fundraisers i helped with that closed out, and it;s making me emotional just thinking about it.

there's a weird disconnect between knowing that you're just one person (and that's something i actually like, i'm no-one special, that's a very freeing thought), and fully feeling it. because somewhere there's always a nagging worry i could do more. as true as it is, reminding yourself you're doing what you can feels like a convenient self-soothing lie when you're in the pit of a bad night. probably the calvinist whispering poisons in your ear. (being afraid of falling in the trap of slacktivism or just reposting everything as a signal boost and patting myself on the back for a job well done, amongst them. which is BS, but knowing isn't believing.)

i mentioned the autistic part for a reason, because community is something i've never quite experienced and only understand in the abstract. like those fundraisers i helped with many, many other people, that's a community effort and i'm proud i could contribute my little bit. translating that to in-person efforts has been a big ??? though. it's not very parseable or approachable to me.

i hadn't quite grokked this as all being part of shame, i have your book sitting here and have read it a while, probably should reread it.

Hey, thanks for writing back! I hear from people of all levels of engagement, from having never done anything to like dedicated black bloc hard core mother fuckers so it's hard to gauge from a single message what someone's particular situation is.

It sounds like you are already doing a ton, choosing actions to take, following through on them, reflecting on the impact of your tactics, and then regrouping to do more and to try things differently where you can. Yet you still feel like shit sometimes and as if you're not doing enough. What to do about those feelings?

Well. Consider those feelings aren't a problem you have to fix. They're just a thing that will happen. Because of cultural conditioning and endless exposure to alarming messages and imagery online they're just gonna come up. Those feelings can just exist while you keep doing the damn thing.

You've already got your behavior on lock. You're doing what you can and not succumbing to choice paralysis. You're hopefully not burning yourself out. It doesn't sound like anything needs to change, maybe other than you not consuming too much online bullshit that's making you feel even more guilty needlessly.

You say: "there's a weird disconnect between knowing that you're just one person (and that's something i actually like, i'm no-one special, that's a very freeing thought), and fully feeling it."

Yeah, you might not ever fully feel it. As long as you keep acting like it's true, you're good imo.

i feel like the most evil selfish unlovable human being alive most days. it doesn't really matter that i do. it sucks, but that's just a fact of how my life has been. i can keep picking myself up and doing what i have decided is right for me to do anyway. i do what i can to avoid triggers that make that feeling worse, so that it doesn't become a barrier to action, but otherwise i just... keep on living, with terrible emotions and terrible thoughts. and i focus on my actions.

As for the community piece, I hear you, it's really fucking hard. I think it's very humbling work that is so worth doing though. Often it involves showing up to the work that a group is doing and living with the fact that you won't know what the fuck is going on and looking inept for a while. it's a necessary distress tolerance building exercise, getting more comfortable with just being there and rearranging the chairs and setting up the food and feeling like a dumbass who has nothing to contribute.

being able to sit with those feelings and keep showing up and not having an ego about it is enough to earn a lot of trust and foster deeper connections, I find. so many people fail to be able to even do that in most organizing/activist/volunteering spaces. I understand it feels mortifying but it is another one of those situations of getting over oneself in a way that's ultimately so freeing and beautiful. when you can accept that people want you around even if you never have anything to say and do nothing but bring paper cups and take out the trash. it's a real object lesson in how not being all that important can be a wonderful thing and make it possible for us to find love and acceptance.

[margoshansons]

No, actually. The reason Trump got a second term is because liberals like you have been "lesser evil" and "harm reduction" voting for the last several elections, and suddenly we had two fascists running. And the problem isn't leftists not voting for Kamala. The problem is that centrist liberals like you don't understand anything outside of your tiny political bubble, and you are much more fascist that you realize. For example: saying anything awful that happens next to any bipoc or lgbt+ or immigrants or Palestinians is deserved. You are not as good a person as you think you are.

Where did I say they deserved it?

Point me to where I said it because as far as I know, all I have said is that Trump is worse for Palestine than Kamala. Which is TRUE.

I never said anyone deserved anything under that administration and frankly as a disabled, immunocompromised queer woman living in America, I find it insulting you think I did.

I even said in my last post I disagree with the Biden administration’s views and handling of Gaza.

And no the problem is leftists not voting for Kamala. Because there were literal leftists saying “if you don’t vote third party, vote Trump but do not vote Kamala.”

I hate the two party system, I hate the electoral college, I hate Kamala’s views on cops and Palestine, I acknowledge that the Democratic Party is just as flawed and awful as the Republican Party. I have for weeks.

But the simple fact is, we cannot change things by burning it down. Change comes from the inside out. It always has.

But people like you, who claim Kamala is just as fascist as Trump, are impeding those who are actively trying to make the world a better place.

You’re content to sit on the sidelines and bitch and complain whenever you can no matter who is president, because it’s easier than actually going out into your communities and getting your hands dirty. Because that would require you to actually do some self-reflection and realize your slacktivism IS NOT HELPING.

I’m not the one who thinks I’m better than I am.

[lol-jackles]

I've been focusing on your entertainment views and show analysis, but according to Rowwyaboat, you're very political and a Trumpie. Meanwhile, I'm all wondering if you even live in the States. I must have missed all those campaign fundraisers somewhere. Apologies.

Does "very" means more than 50% of my 8,200 posts are political? It's Rowwyaboat's job to find 4,000 posts to prove her claim and I'll be here waiting for her receipts.

I live in the states. In the early days of this blog I was accused of being a Russian plant of all things. This is what happens when people living in tumblr bubble world think they're important.

This is a PSA of the day, tumblr has less than zero influence on pop culture.

Haha there were no campaign fundraising because having contrary opinions on this hell site is far worse than slacktivism, it's no-activism.

[unabashedlyinlove]

Plus, he always so worried about his image outside acting in a way that actually impacts his acting negatively. That tells me that he did water down SB on purpose cause he didnt want to be seen as a asshole by GA in real life.

THIS! He totally ruined SB in his attempt to not be hated (or maybe he just couldn't pull it off...). He was hyped up as the worst Big Bad, worse than Homelander, worse than anyone we've seen. Then he was just a sad, whiny, homophobic/misogynistic assh*le with a few minor bouts of showing he was dangerous, but even that was mostly incidental and out of his control (the energy burst thing that happened when he was triggered or whatever). He watered it down so much that the whole season felt pointless and anticlimactic. You could skip s3 altogether and really wouldn't miss anything (although that has a lot to do with the writing for the season not just Jensen/SB. But the underwhelming nature of SB as the big bad of the season really didn't help things at all). The part of SB was written for someone like JDM who has shown he can pull off that dangerous cocky asshole swagger and somehow still make the character charismatic and somewhat likable (Negan). Jensen just.. was not it and it felt like he didn't even try.

I had the same impressions, Anon. I don't understand why (besides money) he took the job and didnt commit to deliver the performance his character deserved. Can you imagine if actors like Antony (Homelander), C Bale (Bateman in American Psycho) and Heath Ledger (Joker) have watered down their performances in order to keep the good guy image? What amazing performances we would have lost? Iconic scenes would never have the catharsis they supposed for the audience? All these performances have the culture impact they have because these actors were true to their characters!

If Jensen was so worried with his 'father of three dotting husband' image, he could have:

a. had his family flown somewhere, took pictures in a couple of different locations with different clothes and spacing out his posting to make it look he is present;

b. get his PR team write a few IG/Twitter posts about relevant subjects/charities (he is no stranger to slacktivism after all)

c. have paid fluff articles in different publications.

Jensen's has been doing all the above in the past few years, so its not like its anything different from what he is used to. I think he truly lost a great opportunity to be noticed by the industry by disentangling himself from SPN/Dean and opening up more doors to himself.

[visiblenostalgia]

SATURN NEPTUNE 25-26 0° ARIES CHANNELED MESSAGES AND IMAGES

And because it’s Aries energy, some of this stuff is going to be hitting VERY hard. I recommend taking what resonates at your own discretion. Do not come for me for whatever I channel. This is simply what’s coming through. If you don’t like it, skip this post.

All of it after the cut.

🔥

“Back to basics—truthfully”

“Emotions can make you realize, but sitting around and clicking doesn’t.”

“Be absolutely honest with yourself. They (your opps) aren’t your own mind.”

Clown — Koяn

Blind — Koяn

A new cycle regarding our connections to media and power.

Perceived worse than expected.

Dynamic shift* (younger populous of Gen Z taking their strides to better positions — people are gonna be REALLY ANGRY with some of the notable ones that erupt from the generation. Some Zedders are gonna be triggered at their own kin. Lotta ties being cut. Lotta friendships are gonna die out for the sake of this rage. All of this interconnectedness of Neptune in Pisces via an “ocean of water” turns into an “ocean of kerosine”. Then Aries hits and it’s all about quick paced running type energy.

More:

Societal (Neptune) standards in our current time are all about being soft and caring. But with all the constant stress from our current times to do so (and with the government seizing control of that and using it for their own purposes), there’s gonna be a calling for forfeit soft language and safe approaches. Things are gonna go in a more assertive way.

I do feel though with Neptune also ruling drugs but with Aries having tough impulse control, recreational weed MIGHT be regulated a teensy bit more as people start to carve a more individualistic and non-victimizing lifestyle.

Go on, feel that Aries energy that make you wanna block me. I don’t care. 🤷‍♀️

(Controversial take but it’s what’s coming through idc at this point so take it with salt….the spirits wanted to say it okay?!) Slacktivism ≠ Activism

Fighting for your individual reality.

Let’s get moving! 💃

Learning to be your own best boss.

Not giving in to anyone’s bullshit.

Baby steps.

Don’t overdo it at first.

It may feel like you wanna rush but don’t pull a calf muscle/ tendon when you’re just getting started.

Those who aren’t honest with their authentic self most days will get a reality check. Forewarning you.

Pimples and acne are beauty marks of the wilder version of you.

Blemishes are the beauty marks of the relaxed.

Proud to be a star mapped face.

The transit also specified that coarse language will also continue to be more accepted but watched in its context.

Say what you mean and mean what you say. Just don’t be hateful and prideful of yourself when doing so.

Neptune also rules aesthetics like Venus does. Cause it’s in Aries, these are the vibes I’m picking up:

Credit to Pinterest for these

[0junemeatcleaver0]

T*ylor S is getting on my last damn nerve. Stand up for something with your platform. Esp after all the ish that went down in her concerts and her being Times Best Woman for whatever reason.

God, don't get me started. I made that post when I was made aware of her speaking out about the recorded call with Kim K. That's what triggered that. And you may be wondering 'Hey, June...why? Why was that the thing? What about that triggered you?'

And like, it's not as though I actually expected her to speak about any of the many, many ways the Kardashians actively help make the world a worse place. Obviously not. Taylor doesn't care.

But like...she could have. And she didn't. It was all about what Kim did to her how that affected her. As. Fucking. Always. And it just ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back. Because this is the pattern with her. She only ever fucking speaks up about things when they directly affect her. And I'm sick of it. I'm sick of her patting herself on the back for just now in her early 30's beginning her 'woke journey' (omgthatissolateitsembarrassing), I'm sick of having to hear about her point blank, I'm sick of her acting as though she's some amazing feminist when she had neo nazis holding her up as an idealized Ayran woman and her just...not addressing that for so long?? I'm sick of her milquetoast song writing and her fans pretending she's the next Joni Mitchell, I'm sick of her and her fans acting as though if you rightly criticize her you're only doing it because you hate women.

As Alexander Avila pointed out in his video about her, she's been being marketed since before she was even born. Her parents named her Taylor so that when potential employers saw her name on a resume, they'd maybe assume she was a man and she'd have a better shot at getting the job. And she's ran with marketing herself so fucking far and so fucking hard that she's essentially the epitome of (White) Woman as a Packaged Product. Vapid and damaging.

Her private jet??? HER PRIVATE JET?!?!?!

Her being such a fucking parody of white woman slacktivism and me first politics swimming in white woman tears to the point that when a Palestinian woman criticized her Times cover, Taylor's fuckass fans doxxed her and her family.

Also, the Times cover is calculated on a macro scale. It's the same reason Pantone decided the color of the year should be a peach that's evocative of a white skin tone while using words to describe it that center around softness and purity--the dominant culture wants us to get comfy with the idea that our government is helping fund a genocide. They want to distract. They want to cajole.

Christ, sorry. This was such a rant but fuck Taylor and fuck her stans.

[taylortruther]

Most of what people are mad about happened in the last few months so a feel like it’a a bit difficult to assess how that’s going to affect a whole career long term. And overall I think it’s more nuanced because for some people Taylor is way worse than Matty. Overall he has taken a stand for things more than he’s gotten into trouble. But if you’re actually surprised someone isn’t actually cancelled you’re just simply not paying attention lol. People who have done LITERAL HATE CRIMES (please google Mark Wahlburg’s past arrests) are successful and working, rapists, abusers convicted or not still get to work in entertainment.

you are right and i do completely sympathize with a desire to see society shift according to our values - it's part of the reason people do lead campaigns to cancel certain celebrities. but idk, 1) these things will continue happening so long as the systems of inequality exist, and 2) i've been around long enough that i know slacktivism when i see it and, unfortunately, good intentions do not make celebrity gossip activism.

[cheepuppp]

Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement: A Double-Edged Sword

Social media was supposed to revolutionize politics, right? Platforms like Twitter and Facebook promised to give power back to the people, connecting us directly to our leaders and each other. And, in some ways, they delivered. Today, hashtags spark global movements, politicians bypass the press to speak directly to voters, and viral memes turn political gaffes into public debates. But here’s the catch: it’s not all sunshine and democracy. Like most things in life, the reality of digital political engagement is way messier and way more interesting.

The Good: Social Media as a Game-Changer

First, let’s give credit where it’s due. Social media has absolutely transformed how politics works. Take Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, for example. Whether you loved or hated him, you couldn’t ignore him and neither could your Twitter feed. Trump’s tweets weren’t just soundbites, they were a direct line to millions of voters, shaping public opinion in real time. As Enli (2017) points out, his “authentic outsider” vibe on social media made him seem relatable to supporters, and that relatability translated into votes.

But it’s not just about big names. Grassroots movements like Malaysia’s Bersih 2.0 also used social media to mobilize support and demand electoral reform. Johns and Cheong (2019) describe how Bersih activists used Facebook and Twitter to bypass traditional media censorship, rallying people with emotional posts and hashtags. That “networked affect” those raw, viral moments created a sense of shared purpose that brought thousands into the streets.

The Bad: The Dark Side of Digital Citizenship

Of course, there’s a flip side to all this. Social media is great at amplifying voices, but it’s also great at creating echo chambers. Algorithms feed us what we want to see, which is fantastic for keeping us entertained but terrible for meaningful political discourse. Instead of healthy debates, we get polarized shouting matches where everyone thinks they’re right, and no one’s actually listening.

And let’s not forget misinformation. Remember the Cambridge Analytica scandal? Facebook data was weaponized to target voters with political ads designed to manipulate their choices. It’s a stark reminder that while social media feels empowering, it can also be used to exploit us. As Choi and Cristol (2021) point out, true digital citizenship requires more than just access, it demands education, critical thinking, and inclusion.

The Meh: Low-Cost Engagement

Then there’s the issue of “low-cost” political engagement. Retweet a hashtag, like a post, or share a petition, and boom you’re a political activist, right? Not exactly. Bode (2017) calls this the “gateway behavior” of political engagement. It’s a great start, but if all we do is click buttons, are we really making a difference? Hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter or #MeToo can create massive awareness, but the real question is: do they lead to action? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It’s complicated.

Personal Reflection

If I’m being honest, I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of slacktivism. It’s so easy to retweet a catchy hashtag and feel like you’ve done your part. But over time, I’ve realized that real political engagement takes more effort. During the last election, I used Instagram stories to share voter guides and info about local candidates, and it felt more impactful than just liking someone else’s post. Don’t get me wrong, social media is powerful. But it’s just a tool, and how we use it makes all the difference.

Conclusion

Social media has changed the game when it comes to political engagement, for better and worse. It’s made politics more accessible, allowing people to participate in ways that were unthinkable a decade ago. But it’s also created new challenges: echo chambers, misinformation, and slacktivism. As digital citizens, we need to go beyond the surface. Retweets and likes are great, but real change happens when we take those online conversations offline. The power is in our hands, literally.

References

Bode, L. (2017). Gateway Political Behaviors: The Frequency and Consequences of Low-Cost Political Engagement on Social Media. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117743349

Choi, M., & Cristol, D. (2021). Digital citizenship with an intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy-driven digital citizenship education. Theory Into Practice, 60(4), 361-370. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2021.1987094

Enli, G. (2017). Twitter as an arena for the authentic outsider: Exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. European Journal of Communication, 32(1), 50-61. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0267323116682802

Johns, A., & Cheong, N. (2019). Feeling the Chill: Bersih 2.0, State Censorship, and “Networked Affect” on Malaysian Social Media 2012–2018. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118821801

[marcusbrutus]

SMH you should've known that you can't breathe on this website without a good few lobotomites clutching their pearls. you don't get an opinion for you are too privileged. /jk

Fuck these people they can both swallow 8 kilos of sand each

It’s kind of amazing how they both sound EXACTLY like the irrational mean inner voice I’ve internalized from being on this website for so long, the “I shouldn’t complain about someone’s grammar because they might be dyslexic and then I would be ableist or they might have had a poor upbringing and then I would be classist” kind of moral scrupulosity voice. It’s genuinely impressive it’s like the constant mean tumblr anon in my brain somehow became two people 😂 this is the kind of tumblr slacktivism and crybullying that everyone on the internet has been making fun of for the past 10 years.

And it’s very difficult because like… I have this urge to be liked by everyone. And I have this urge to be viewed as a Good Person by everyone. And if I’m not liked or worse, viewed as a Bad Person, it makes me feel like I’m being submerged in hot oil. But honestly? These people are insane and I’m pretty sure if they liked me there would be something deeply wrong with me too hahaha.

No hate to them and I wish them the best but like. Why do you assume literally everyone is out to get you and everything is an attack on you personally based on your identities that I know nothing about. You are nothing but a screen name to me. A stranger. But how am I supposed to know your identity is xyz? And then you accuse me of being racist and misogynist and all these other things when you don’t even know me? Once again: girl WHAT.

[uncloseted]

Do you have opinions on people who say world events affect their mental health and make it hard to live their lives? I've started to Westerners on tt and x say how what's happening in Gaza is affecting their mental health and they're struggling with their day to day lives because of it. What's happening is horrible and I get how the state of the world is soul crushing and feels like it's getting worse but it feels icky hearing Westerners talk about genocide making THEM feel bad about life

I think it's complicated. People can develop PTSD and other serious neurological health issues from repeated exposure to media of mass violence. For example, a few years ago Facebook paid a $52 million settlement to moderators that developed PTSD as a result of viewing violent images all day long. And studies have corroborated that- per Dr. David Spiegel, of Stanford’s Center on Stress and Health, "Exposure to trauma, even at a distance, will elicit the kind of reaction you might have if you are witnessing an event yourself.” So I think it makes a lot of sense that for people who consider "witnessing" what's happening in conflict zones to be a form of political action are developing mental health issues as a result of constantly being exposed to that imagery. That's real, and I'm sure it is making it hard to live their lives.

That said. Intentionally traumatizing yourself by "witnessing" a conflict is not a real form of political action, and developing PTSD from constantly consuming imagery and video from a war zone is a surefire way to make sure you don't take any political action that would actually impact the situation. In some ways this feels to me like a particularly extreme form of slacktivism, where people feel like their trauma from "witnessing" what's happening proves that they care the most and absolves them from having to do anything else. It's important for people to stand up for what they think is right. But consuming graphic content isn't helping anyone. It's just creating a secondary issue that requires time and resources to fix. I know that engaging in real-world activism can feel intimidating and vulnerable, but that's what we all have to do if any real-world change is going to be made.

[lizardsfromspace]

Apparently there's a movement called "blockout2024" that is blocking celebs for many reasons, but I've seen it on here from people saying you should block every celeb at the Met Gala, and also a hundred more who nebulously "haven't done enough". This list includes everyone, including Gigi Hadid. You know, the Palestinian-American who is one of the most outspoken pro-Palestinian-freedom celebrities? In fact, it has several Palestinian and pro-Palestinian people prominently on it, lumped in with actual supporters of the genocide against them, and classed as one and the same

Obviously this is a stupid - no wait people are defending it

This isn't even thinking imperfect allies are worse than enemies. The idea that Palestinians who are extremely vocal about supporting Palestine should be dismissed as gross, awful, tone deaf people who need to be blocked and ostracized for attending an event that wasn't even being boycotted is just. What are you even doing.

Gigi Hadid, who donated all of her 2022 earnings to Ukraine and Palestine. Gigi Hadid, who has received death threats over her support for Palestine & who had family members doxxed. Gigi Hadid, who needs to be held to account for...attending a museum fundraiser? Eurovision was being boycotted for very specific reasons, this one is a bunch of people on social media saying "well it's a bit Hunger Games isn't it" because they have the secret BDS list that has all the celebrities they already hate on the top of it. In this case there's also evidence like "she was holding a Starbucks cup in one magazine photoshoot" & "she may be in the background of this photo someone took at a Starbucks", definite proof that she doesn't care and is secretly evil and lying about everything so she can maybe stand in the background of a Starbucks

How can the type of slacktivist that constantly calls everything a psyop look at a list saying "hey, go ahead and block all these pro-Palestinian activists! Make sure to trash them as awful people too. This is violating BDS guidelines btw" and go, this is legit and I need to defend it to the death. They're seriously not only not questioning that but coming up with reasons to justify it? Not the SLIGHTEST bit of pause about anonymous uncited internet lists telling them comrades are irredeemable scum? Everyone who is a slightly different type of communist than them is a Fed, but this anonymous internet list telling them to stop boosting anyone with a platform who supports their cause...that's the real thing baby

Also it is slacktivism. It is slacktivism to make a righteous cause out of blocking celebrities on Instagram en masse. It's funny that a lot of these posts say they don't care about celebrities when like. Yes, if you're attaching grave importance to methodically blocking thousands and thousands of famous people, you...are actually extremely celebrity-obsessed? Far, far more than most people. Literally no one else is still talking about the Met Gala, if it was a distraction, the one getting distracted is you. If your activism is about finding ways to justify silencing Palestinians and supporters for minor mistakes bc a random internet list told you to...I repeat: what are you even doing

If someone tells you to block and denounce people from the oppressed group you're supporting, your first reaction should be "are you a cop?", not "yes, I'll do this unquestioningly, and you're an awful person if you don't too"

Not that it's above criticism, it's not, but I feel your Met Gala take should at least acknowledge it's a fundraiser for an art museum with pay-what-you-want admission instead of vaguely presenting it as as if it's an event where everyone goes to dump their money in Scrooge McDuck pits and jump around in it

[papirouge]

Not sure what anon calling your racial slur has to do with anything but your whole argument is sending links from biased news sources and using caps lock. It’s travel with my wife yearly to Israel and her family does occasionally as well but we could not this year because of what happened. You’re entitled to your opinion and I could send you links from other biased news sources arguing the opposite of what you’re saying. I was trying to have a discussion with a person not a propaganda machine. I have my biases as well.

By that I mean that I am sickened by the casualties on both sides and while you blame whoever it is you want to blame I blame Hamas. The state I live in sends immense support to Israel and overall we don’t tolerate extremism here and the city is nice compared to places flooded with slacktivists. Some of us are just upset the protests are harmful to both Muslims and Jewish people. I worry about the antisemitism and the type of Islamaphobia we saw happen after 9/11.

The protests and the online wars are not helping bring Palestine and Israel closer to peace. It is causing division and hate. The ceasefire did not happen because of everyone spray painting swastikas and vandalizing the White House. It happened for an amount of time because Hamas was releasing some hostages. I truly hope for peace and I believe Israel has a right to seek justice for what happened.

I’ve seen footage from both the bombings in Gaza and October 7th and what I would say is it’s going to get worse before it gets better. America will continue to be a strong ally to Israel like it has in the past. Idk how you do it in France and I get that there’s a lot hate for Americans but I do love the country that I live in and the freedoms I have here. 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 🇵🇸. This is what I want. Peace and understanding for everyone. Your slacktivism isn’t going to change a goddamn thing no matter how many links you copy and paste. The people who really make changes don’t care about likes and reblogs.

First of all : miss me with your unasked for lecture about my typing style OR MY USE OF CAPS, THANK YOU. That's MY BLOG and I DO AND TYPE HOW THE HECK I WANT💜 You already walk on thin ice here so you better watch your tone. I'm not your friend and you're just lucky I chose to entertain your annoying presence on MY space.

Now. Here's the thing anon : there's no unbiased media source. EVERY media has a director of publication AND a financier who pretty much has the last say on the 'orientation' of that media. People like you pulling out the "unbiased" source card come off very unaware of how journalism work. If the same information is shared in several publications from a various of countries and political spectrum, blaming the information at hand as being "biased" is ridiculous. But hey, weren't Israeli officials saying the UN and Amnesty International was the pro Hamas ? 💀Just say you're mad at this information and go.

I mean, it's extremely revealing you're like "no matter how many link your copy paste" because it shows 1) you're not interested in educating yourself (and it shows) 2) you don't even value information for what it is. Those are just "copy past links" which ultimately explains why your takes are so stupid and uneducated. I wouldn't be surprised you're American bc you guys often have that wicked mix of arrogance and sheer stupidity.

Also a question : are you White? Because the way you use "slacktivism" shows you don't know the slightest what it actually means and think. I'm asking bc like you, Whites haven't shut up about woke so I ended up with the conclusion they just love hopping on internet slang and rehashing it left & right without grasping their actual meaning ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Here's a clue : you realize that people talking shit on the internet..... don't necessary claim the "activist" title right? Do you realize that Palestinians THEMSELVES ask us to TALK about Palestine, and that unlike entitled brats like you thinking they can lecture anyone about how they should correctly support Palestine cause, are just grateful we keep talking about them? So why should I acknowledge your opinion? You're not a Palestinian. You are foreign to the equation at hand. Shut up.

"the protest and online wars aren't bringing Palestine and Israel closer to peace" .....but bombing Gaza will? Are you out of your mind? Do you realize you're literally breeding a new gen of radicalized kids who will hate Israel for wiping off 95% of their lineage? On what multiverse are you living??

Slacktivism doesn't kill people and yet you're more mad at it than the actual bomb killing civilians... Insanity.

And protest do work ; there's been a ceasefire. (Not because of sprayed swastikas). Funny how you act like it didn't happen. I thought you wanted peace; as a "peace lover", I think you'd be more appreciative of that🙃

And TBH we in France we ain't checking for America like that. I know you guys have a weird main character syndrome but the USA definitely aren't on french people's mind like that. I know you guys aren't the brightest bulb of the building but we have our own continent (Europe) to deal with first (which is a lot).

Conclusion : the people who really want changes aren't there submitting stupid anons on a rando inbox. You want peace through war? Enroll into Tsahal or shut up forever. People like you thinking war will ultimately fix things while not be on the frontline of that ✨peacemaking war✨ disgust me.

Yall told yourselves the same lie for decades already and it didn't work. Do you know how are called people doing the same thing while thinking the result will end up different? : CRAZIES.

PS/ learn to read: me bringing up like & reblog was about the person saying nobody was reading my lengthy response posts.

[hologramcowboy]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn_iTyRAWe5/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Danneel has said in the past that her red hair is a carryover from Rachel, her character on OTH. Not surprising that she’s spent years clinging to the only relevant thing she’s done in her life other than trapping Jensen. The link is to an Instagram post dedicated to the “Rachel red” from when she was doing promo for her (aka Hilarie Burton’s) movie and trying to remind people she exists. She wishes she was iconic enough to have a hair color coined after her. Not sure why it’s gotten drastically more orange as the years have passed, probably the same reason her fillers keep getting worse and worse: being blinded by body dysmorphia.

I think her best hair color was the honey blonde hair she had after JJ was born. Whenever she’s tried to go back to being a brunette it’s been very hit or miss…with hit being a pretty generous descriptor.

Sidenote: it feel like she deleted a ton of instagram photos since the last time I was on her profile. I accidentally scrolled all the way to her very first post and it used to take forever to make it to that point.

How bland and boring, she truly has no personality of her own and uh she wishes she was iconic.

If she is deleting photos she's probably getting ready for a rebrand again. Like she did when she suddenly shifted from super trashy almost naked pics to only family shots of Jensen with the kids, her kids, her and the kids because, you know, she needed to use her fame tokens, after all. Since her trashy half naked pics weren't really bringing her the fame she wanted. 🤣 She moved on to creepily posting pictures of her children in distress, dirty, upset, etc which just made me realize she's not that balanced nor responsible so I don't even follow her because I don't need that kind of negative, creepy energy in my life. Also, her fake slacktivism makes me pity her limited, self absorbed mind. She's so desperate for validation and famehungry she'll pretend to support anything and then in her DMs she trashes people who try to confront her on the very important topics she claims to support.

I had forgotten about the honey blonde, I think you're right, it might look softer on her than dark brown, especially since she is generally bad at picking shades that match her type. She has vulgar features so honey blonde would soften that impact greatly.