Slacktivism: The Good, the Bad, and the Real World

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2019-11-07

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The recent growth in social media technology is allowing online interaction at an unprecedented scale (Lee & Hsieh, 2013). While these technologies hold amazing potential for online activism, they also hold the potential for slacktivism. The United Nations has defined slacktivism as supporting a cause through simple measures, such as a Facebook "like", without true dedication to making a real change (2010).The communication skills that our students are encouraged to exercise as responsible digital citizens mirror that of leaders and professionals, online and offline. This session will engage in conversations about slacktivism and the positive potential of true engagement as part of an online community through critical thinking and problem-solving. We will explore how faculty can support online activism to influence positive civic actions and the role faculty play in this battle of activism vs. slacktivism to teach and guide students towards consistency and a moral balance in online activism.

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