Future gaze: how might social media contribute to activism in future?

 Digital activism is empowering individuals to make some changes

The argument that social media fosters feel-good clicking rather than actual change began long before Malcolm Gladwell brought it up in the New Yorker — long enough to generate its own critical term. “Slacktivism,” as defined by Urban Dictionary, is “the act of participating in obviously pointless activities as an expedient alternative to actually expending effort to fix a problem.”If you only measure donations, social media is no winner. The Australian Red Cross, for instance, has 45,636 ‘likes’ on Facebook, more than 4,500 followers on Twitter, and a thriving blog. But just how much do online donations account for?
Here a few successful campaigns from the last year…

Kony 2012 campaign had a 30-minute YouTube that we all sat down and watched. When usually most of us could only watch a YouTube for about 5 minutes. This YouTube kept us engaged the whole time, they made it personal, and they made you feel a sense of urgency to act quickly. It definitely made me donate $30 to receive a Kony 2012 pack.   

Gay Marriage Equality - Celebrities are behind this campaign which helps get the message out a lot quicker.

The aim of this campaign was to create awareness of the launch of "Bully" a documentary on childhood bullying and to build a community against bullying. Here's how the campaign was implemented on Twitter:

They made this message very touching and personal. However, it was very strategical move to take this message to social media, where the filmmaker could truly reach the target demographic. Some might call the success of the campaign unexpected, but it was an awareness tactic that was extremely successful. It serves as a key example of how Twitter, as a network, can be used to amplify a powerful message.

Even this morning we already have have seen post being shared for the Boston bombings

 All of these campaigns have been very impressive and memorable.

The internet always plays a critical role in any idea, report, campaign. It allows us access to a lot of people. However, social media is a movement still in its early stages. Facebook launched in 2004, YouTube in 2005 and Twitter in 2006. Let's give the tools a little while to grow before we start judging them.

That entire liking, following, joining, signing, forwarding, and clicking, has a lot of potential to grow into big change.  We are now already seeing what an impact it is making on society and I truly feel it has the potential to create more awareness on important issues.

Sources: The New Yorker, Urban Dictionary, Twitter, Google Image, Mashable