Reshaping Slacktivist Rhetoric: Social Networking for Social Change

Slacktivism: is an apt term to describe feel-good online activism that has zero political or social impact. It gives those who participate in ‘slacktivist’ campaigns an illusion of having a meaningful impact on the world without demanding anything more than joining a Facebook group” (Foreign Policy)

-Meaning that a person can become a digital citizen. You may "like" a facebook group that supports a good cause in order to make only yourself feel good. It doesn't mean you are actually DOING anything for that cause, but you are doing it to fill some kind of personal forfillment. It is used to describe people who are "lazy" and/or "selfish"

The line between slacktivism and activism is thin because using social media to be apart of a bigger picture and participating in real life, real world, life affecting things, can be very beneficial and helpful in the part of raising awareness. social networks can only be as good as the person can make them. Get involved.

This article does a lot of talking about about how with the social networks we have available to us today we can do SO much good with them and make so much change, and become a civic engager, yet, very little of us are doing so. Just because we are not at a debate or in the audience of a political movement, we can connect with others and make others aware and get the opinions of others through social broadcasting online. Making groups, blogs, sites, etc. Most teens and young adults, and I believe most current day adults, get their news from the internet. All social network sites and based from the internet - facebook, twitter, linkdin..etc. Though most agree that it is our civil duty to spread the word of good causes and staying informed and spreading the word, as our most important duties, their online activity did not account on behalf of that previous stated belief. 

Everything is about "knowledge to take action." If we can help each other and encourage each other to spread the message of something they believe and make their word aware to others, then they will. By raining on someone parade and discouraging their actions, people are less likely to take initiative, esp younger generations looking for approval from older generations. Students need to become fully aware of the changes that they can make but utilizing the internet and social media for civic purposed and not just to roam pinterest and stumbleupon.