4. Data Analysis
4.3. Conclusions
4.3.2. Do Students View Online Activism as “Slacktivism”?
99 The ease of use component is illustrated by one respondent, Participant 1, who stated: “I supported from my couch”. It is this idea that is generally used pejoratively by detractors of online activism, who argue that people believe that they are able to “change the world from their couch”, however, this is precisely why students have chosen to engage through this medium; they are able to easily access information, participate in discussion and find like- minded people in a way that is convenient for them. For critics, engaging in this manner is seen as lazy however, it is apparent that majority of students do not agree with this. Whether or not students engage beyond the online space is irrelevant, what matters to them is that online activism allows for them to engage in the cause in the first place.
100 Respondent answers to support their belief appeared to rest mainly in the idea that hashtags reach large numbers of people. As illustrated by students’ response to the question of whether hashtags are able to bring attention to salient matters, where 90% indicated that they do believe that hashtag campaigns raised social awareness.
The most frequent response provided by students explaining why they believed hashtags were a beneficial tool, had to do with their potential to reach millions of people through social networking sites. These social networking sites allow for information to easily be shared between users, one need only click a button and the information can be disseminated to a potentially endless number of people.
Students believe that the more popular hashtag campaigns have the ability to reach people easily because they garner attention because they have a tendency to permeate social media and become a talking point. Through this, a number of people come to learn of the cause or that the campaign is focused on which can, in turn, educate those who may be ignorant about it and thus, possibly lead to them becoming invested and involved in it. Other students did not believe that these campaigns were an adequate way of raising social awareness about causes as they argue that hashtags are treated as more of a trend than actually focusing on and championing the issue at hand. While some believe that hashtag campaigns provide the basis for people to engage in discussion of pertinent to issues, one student stated that they believed that these discussions become endless, baseless debates. Another issue highlighted by a respondent is that those who do not have access to new media devices are excluded from hashtag campaigns. Yet again, this is another illustration of the digital divide still existing and disqualifying those who are without these devices from being a part of the discussion.
101 Discerning whether students view these campaigns as a substitute is not simply a linear exercise, however. In this case, the issue of why students may elect to not participate in civic actions such as protests needs to be examined as well. Therefore, students were questioned whether of whether they would be likely to participate in protests associated with a hashtag campaign.
As mentioned, this served to test both whether students themselves used hashtag activism as a substitute for engaging civically, as well as Lee & Hsieh’s (2013) theory of moral balancing or, as it has been labelled in this dissertation, the theory of behaviour congruence. When asked whether they would be more or less inclined to participate in associated protest action of a campaign they were engaged with online, 53% of respondents indicated that they would be less likely, 42% indicated that they would be more likely and 5% of respondents were undecided.
Of the 53% who indicated that they would be less likely to participate in civic action, the main reason for their reluctance is because they were fearful of attending or participating in protests as they feel that protests, especially in South Africa, have a tendency of becoming violent.
Students indicated that they either were fearful of possibly getting harmed in the protests, possibly facing legal repercussion or, that they do not agree with the lengths some protestors go to in order to try and make a statement, such as arson and the destruction of property.
This does not necessarily support Lee & Hsieh’s theory of moral balancing which states that one who engages in online activism will either view their online efforts as sufficient support for a cause, which subsequently causes them to not participate further or want to keep a sense of congruence with their behaviour from the online to the offline world. In this case, it is not
102 that students necessarily view their online activity as a sufficient contribution but rather they are faced with extraneous factors which serve as a deterrent to their participating any further than in an online capacity.
Some student responses however, do support Lee & Hsieh’s (2013) theory. Of the group of respondents who indicated that they would be more likely to participate in associated protest action, students indicated that they believe their participation in subsequent mass action is a necessary extension of their online participation.
Students believe that participation online can be the catalyst for further engagement, stating that there is an opportunity for them to become informed about why protests are occurring and whether they identify with and/or believe in the cause. Others believe that participation through the use of social media and hashtags is valid, there is still a need for people to support their words through actual action and involvement. They believe that while social media does work to help raise awareness about issues, it does not serve to disrupt daily life. Students argue that it is this disruption that causes people to take notice because, in their view, it is civic action such as protests, which shows that they are serious about and committed to a cause. Some students were unsure of the likelihood of further engagement on their part, stating that their subsequent participation lies in whether they were passionate about the cause or not.
There are others who believe that hashtag activism does not serve to replace traditional activism, but rather that it works as a supplement to it. They argue that because these hashtag campaigns can be used as a way to inform people, it can serve to inspire them to attend rallies and participate in protests. Therefore, online activism can be one component in a repertoire of
103 an activist, it does not necessarily have to come down to one choosing either online activism or traditional activism.