Have you ever clicked like on a Facebook post of a video promoting some social cause? Ever signed an online petition calling for the end of some social injustice? How about those wristbands spreading a message like to LIVESTRONG? Ever wear one of those?
Odds are, if you’re a Facebooker, a tweeter, or simply an internet peruser, some might consider you a “slacktivist”. A combination of slacker and activist, slacktivism commonly refers to passive, feel-good measures taken in support of an issue or social cause that, in reality, have little practical effect other than self-satisfaction. The term has been uttered over and over again in the wake of the mega-viral “Kony 2012” campaign. Michael Hoffman is CEO of See3, an interactive communications agency specializing in online campaigns and video production for nonprofits and social causes. Marcia Stepanek is a social media strategy professor at NYU and author of the forthcoming book “Swarms: The Rise of the Digital Anti-Establishment.”