We all have causes we feel strongly about, be it for equal rights, immigration issues, abortion access, income inequality or even who will be the next president. I'm not going to say any given cause is right or wrong here, because that misses the point. The point is that we all care strongly about causes and wish to advocate for them, but may not have the time to engage in typical activist actions like collecting petition signatures or campaigning for a candidate. Just because you don't have the time for "real" activism, doesn't mean you can't still advocate for your cause. There is a universal platform on which we can push for the causes we support to a wide audience: Facebook. Yes, we can use Facebook as a platform for everyday acts of activism. I've talked before about how to leverage social media to keep yourself informed, and this is a natural extension of that.
1. Share and share alike
Most obviously, if there is something you care about, then share things about it! Even if you disagree with the message, you can post that too. Sharing content you appreciate or that you comment on is a great way to spread awareness of your cause to your friends and, possibly, beyond.
2. Get in debates
This is a little more controversial, but that is part of the point. If you never stick up for your cause, then how do you expect it to flourish? When you see something you disagree with, politely state your disagreement and your reasons for it. Not to persuade the person you're posting to, that is almost never going to work, but to show anyone who might see the post that alternative viewpoints exist. The more reasonably stated your point is, the more likely you are to spread an appreciation, even if not support, for your cause.
3. Support others
Do what you can to support others advocating for the same cause. If that means donations, great! That can also mean sharing their work or posts or even just backing them up in an online debate. Supporting those you agree with is a great way to advocate for a cause even if you're not sure how to.
4. Remain humble and open
This is probably the trickiest part of the whole process: Supporting your cause without becoming enslaved to it. We can all be passionate about what we believe in, but sometimes we are simply wrong. This happens to everyone, liberal and conservative. Don't believe me? How about when a liberal scientist made unfair attacks on Trump supporters? There are plenty of examples across the entire spectrum of when a belief contradicts facts, so I can't give an example of every one of them. What matters is that, no matter how strongly we support a cause, we have to be open to other opinions and recognize that we might be wrong. Even if not necessarily in values (which are difficult to say are right or wrong), at least in terms of our facts and figures. I fact check even statistics that support my beliefs because of how easy it is to propagate false data (I agree with the scientific consensus on global warming, but I'm still not quite sure where that 97% agreement on climate change comes from despite trying to find it). This is also a necessary step to remaining polite. If we know that we can be wrong, then we're less likely to close our minds to alternative perspectives but instead consider them, at least in passing.
5. See the other side
There are always at least two sides to an issue, and a vital part of activism is understanding what you are acting against as much as what you are acting for. The more you understand the other side, the easier it is to advocate for your own.
