Facebook. A place where people can connect and stay in touch. Or, a place where you can feel more important and active than you really are. Take Facebook's latest 'campaign':
Change your FB profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood. The goal? To not see a human face on FB until Monday, December 6th. Join the fight against child abuse.
This is followed by a plea to repost to your status. My question is: how does changing a picture fight against anything? Does this type of campaign ever actually DO anything? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say...No.
In fact, campaigns that aim to raise awareness have long since been under the microscope for ineffectiveness and even fraud. Take for example Breast Cancer Awareness walks. For a rather interesting opinion, and some great facts, go onto Netflix and view Penn & Teller's Bullsh*t episode on Breasts. Turns out those Walks for the Cure end up making nearly no money to actually fund research, but just turn out to be a feel-good event. Not saying that this is a bad thing, because that support for survivors is very important, but if you want to actually do something, give a check directly to an organization that funds research or patient support.
Those who are changing their profile pictures are simply becoming Slacktivists. In an article on Neteffect.com posted last year, writer Evgeny Morozov defines slacktivism as 'an apt term to describe feel-good online activism that has zero political or social impact. It give those who participate in 'slackivist' campaigns an illusion of having a meaningful impact on the world without demanding anything more than joining a Facebook group.'
Indeed, this type of 'type and go' social awareness does very little other than give the false idea that the poster is somehow doing good and plugged into the movement. Of course Facebook is an excellent marketing tool, and it used to inform masses of people on everything from the latest razor available from Gillette, to changing the face of political campaigns. But when it comes to slacktivism, it's effects are still largely unproven. Meaning there is absolutely no research or evidence that changing a FB profile picture is going to do anything. Other than annoy me and make me hide your posts until Monday.
In terms of the latest campaign, if you actually want to be effective and do something to help, how about a post like this?
HEY GUYS! You know that 'change your profile picture to raise child abuse awareness' thing going on? How about taking that few minutes and instead sending a couple dollars, literally just 5 bucks, to www.preventchildabuse.org or any prevention or support organization of your choice. Or even sign up to volunteer. Cuz at the end of the day, that five dollars is going to help a child a hell of a lot more than a stupid cartoon on your profile.
Actually giving people a way to participate rather than an 'out' is how to keep people connected and involved. Sure, go ahead and change your profile picture too. But think of how insulting it would be to a kid to say 'look at my cool cartoon! I support you!' and walk away while he's still stuck needing support. Yeah, doesn't look so supportive now does it?
At the end of the day, digital 'activism' doesn't get things done. Ethical Consumerism is going to destroy actual ethics, and a cartoon isn't going to help. As a friend on Twitter reposted this morning:
'I hate to point out the obvious, but how does changin your fb profile picture to a cartoon character stop (women) from hitting kids?'
