The idea of being an activist has always been appealing. The name itself elicits a feeling of free-spiritedness, perceptiveness, and rebellion to the world as a whole. It's an enticing role to fill. It puts a person at the forefront, allowing them to feel ahead of the times, progressive and like they're "really doing something, man."
Throughout history, the idea of the gritty and passionate activist has been an active figure of change. The problem is, the feeling of being a part of a movement, and being on the front lines of change, has a new, ersatz means of delivery. We can all adopt this persona through social media. When people are able to channel their energy into something they believe in, they are able to make a change. But the reason the world noticed them is because to expend this energy, they had to really dedicate themselves to an ideal. It was hard to make your voice heard and to get your voice to an audience; you had to be a relatable contrarian.
Nowadays, all you need is a phone with wifi and some thumbs. The global connectivity we all have in our pockets allows everyone to get the takeaway of boldly stating their opinion and the affirmation of having it be heard without the footwork that it once took to actually be heard. Activism starts and ends with social media – and that is a real problem.
I don't intend to take away from the past generations who vehemently opposed the status quo. If people hadn't come to their humanity, slavery might still be a part of our lives and Apartheid could still reign. If nobody had raged against the machine, we very well could still be occupying Vietnam. Our generation realized the war in the East was, at its core, a conflict of resources and not ideals.
The point is, there is a place for the loud antagonist, and usually it's at the tipping point of progressive change. The problem is, we're now able to effortlessly channel all that energy into tweets, rather than letting it marinate to the point of direct action. I love Twitter, Instagram and all the other mediums we have access to, but its about time we start utilizing them as a tool, rather than establishing them as our mouthpiece. Nothing gets done on these platforms. Ideas stay ideas rather than formulating into actions, resulting in people actually working against the change they want. We're able to put our ideas out into the ether for someone else more adept to work with.
Through social media, we have created a synthetic means of feeling as though we're doing something, and it has slowed down our progress. Wake up, look up, and do something, damn it. Ideas are the beginning of change, but change rides on the backs of those who intend to carry it out.
