The Dangers of Performative Activism
“To spread awareness” has become an increasingly popular term in our current political climate, but the phrase holds little concrete meaning considering the weight it simultaneously holds. On social media, many people repost aesthetically pleasing infographics, calling for action and pleading for change, but rarely do these infographics delve deeper than the cute catch phrases that they present on the surface. Through social media, performative activism has become so normalized that its dangers are progressively less evident, allowing calls for change, but no real action.
Social media can act as an outlet for people’s anger, frustration, or resilience. A simple repost, however, does not lead to adequate change whatsoever as it is limited to merely being shared among a certain social circle. Though many who simply repost infographics do not inherently have bad intentions, the concept of performative activism shifts the conversation of how legitimate change can be enacted. Instead of directly seeking to dismantle the racial and social structures in our country, social media has made it acceptable for people to just let it be known that they aren’t racist, a way of protecting themselves, rather than others. For example, at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Black Out Tuesday was trending, in which people across social media showed solidarity for the cause. Millions of people flooded #BlackLivesMatter with images of black squares, and though they had good intentions, doing so limited others from gaining valuable resources to seek legitimate action. Additionally, merely posting a black square on their social media with #BlackLivesMatter let millions of people believe that doing so was enough to combat the multifaceted, systemic racism in our country.
Celebrities also play a large role in taking part in performative activism. With the leverage of their immense platform, celebrities have the power to bring light to important issues and fight for justice, yet many severely miss the mark, helping their own image instead of their intended cause. As a Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez devotes herself to passing laws to protect the American people and foster fundamental change, but her 2021 Met Gala dress signifies the extent of performative activism that many celebrities go to. With the bold statement, “Tax the Rich” painted in red across the back of her dress, Ocasio-Cortez’s dress displayed a sense of irony as she gained social recognition for her stance while simultaneously amicably shaking hands with wealthy public figures known for avoiding taxation. Instead of being recognized for a call for tax reform, the Congresswoman’s dress was noted as a celebrity fashion choice. Though many can argue that Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s dress was a bold move in front of many elite figures in American culture, at the end of the day, her dress, unfortunately, did not play any role in meaningfully combating the twisted economic structures in our country.
The line between performative and real activism has become dangerously thin in our modern age of social media. Now is the time to hold people who participate in performative activism accountable, so that the call for real change can take the front seat and lead to legitimate changes in our country.
