Performative Activism— After the Hashtag
Social media's omnipresence in the lives of younger generations has the potential to be a blessing or a curse in activism. Global issues that get infinitesimal media coverage are amplified in our communities solely through the internet. Generation Z has been given the responsibility of being the voices of those who have none. However, social media is infested with ephemeral trends and hashtags. For days Instagram acted as an active mode of communication about the injustices against the black community across the globe; it was impossible to escape. People who had shown limited interest in social justice previously were now vigorously reposting, commenting, speaking out. It was an oasis. Then, the noise died down as quickly as it was generated, raising some compelling questions. How much of social media activism is performative? To what extent is performative activism harmful to society?
Performative activism is prevalent despite one’s fame or the stakes for reputation. When a trend is created, people want to be included; they want to hop on the bandwagon before it is hundreds of miles out of sight leaving them in the dust. George Floyd was wronged by society as a whole–a society that has allowed police brutality to persist time and time again without repercussion. However, this time the officers involved in this wrongdoing had charges pressed against them; society began to redeem itself for a fleeting moment before it flocked to the next trend. Perhaps a majority of the supporters of this movement were perpetrators of performative activism, but the outcome was still positive. Perhaps activists could emerge from what commences as performative but later instills a passion for justice. Do the ends justify the means? In this one case, the answer may be yes. But what about the plethora of victims of police brutality that will inevitably arise?
There are drastic consequences to reducing movements like Black Lives Matter to merely social media trends. It sends out a message to the authorities that if you wait long enough, the noise will die down, and, as a result, there will be no change. Effort and expenses could be avoided–in the eyes of a politician–if the rage can simply be waited out. That’s why victims of murder like Breonna Taylor continue to be disgraced while her murderers continue to walk freely. Change cannot happen without unfaltering persistence.
It is not enough for us to walk away after one handful of corrupt police officers have been charged because justice cannot be truly served to George Floyd or any other black victim of police brutality until the cycle ends. Black Lives Matter is a larger movement that must be sustained until it makes an indelible mark on society. There are fundamental changes that must be made in the framework of our society that cannot happen without continued support.
What can you do? Channel the passion you portrayed a month ago for this movement into every day of your life. Keep signing petitions, spreading awareness, sending texts or emails, anything to kindle the flame. Because the trend may have died but that doesn’t exempt black people from being victims of racism in every facet of their lives.
