Within the realm of political action, digital technology, specifically social media, has become more relevant and utilized within movements—from the Twitter hijacking of the hashtag #myNPD in 2014 to #BlackLivesMatter and #Ferguson, the latter of which became some of the most frequently used racial justice hashtags in the first 10 years of Twitter’s existence.Many of these movements have utilized social media to call people to action against racial injustice.

Furthermore, performativeallyshiphas led to doubts on the tangible impact of social media activism. It has also caused discussions on how some of these practices are harmful to the communities they claim to protect. So, what are the dangers of performative allyship, and how can we better use these platforms to lift and support marginalized communities? Let’s explore.

Not All Allyship Is Good Allyship

While there are many positives of social media activism, such as broad reach, lower participation costs and removal of participation barriers, it is not without its faults. Not only does it favor those with access to the internet, but the low commitment also needed to take part has given rise to other harmful consequences.

Seth Meyers, SNL Weekend Update, September 2012If you make a Facebook page we will ‘like’ it — it’s the least we can do. But it’s also the most we can do.

Seth Meyers, SNL Weekend Update, September 2012

If you make a Facebook page we will ‘like’ it — it’s the least we can do. But it’s also the most we can do.

Slacktivism

Slacktivists are the individuals that will engage with token behaviors but not follow through with more meaningful contributions from that point onwards. While such inaction may not seem nefarious from the outset, slacktivism is particularly harmful to groups needing physical or monetary support.

For example, a field study on slacktivism found that an online campaign that showed engagement from 6.4 million online users only received 30 physical donations.Preliminary research has shown that this is likely due to the lack of accountability and consequences of e-pledging.Nevertheless, this highlights the limitations of virtual acknowledgment and puts a doubt on the trickle-down effect awareness is meant to have. That said, these issues with effective social media aren’t relegated to just political activism.

Wokefishing

Such a practice highlights the issues with representation and visibility alone being seen as virtues of a good ally. After all, wokefishing is especially harmful toBIPOCas research has consistently shown racism to be a “health-defeating stressor” that can increase the symptoms of anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and PTSD.Furthermore, it is very common for people from marginalized communities to curate their dating preferences intentionally.

As the data has shown, political preferences influence romantic interest, attraction, and even relationship length. So not only could wokefishing affect their comfortability dating long term, it arguably delays their chance at finding someone.

Trauma Memes

Although this can reduce feelings of isolation and provide accessible content for audience members who are curious about the noted mental health issues, advice from unverified sources has the potential to exacerbate or worsen someone’s existing mental health issues. Furthermore, it simplifies the information around mental health illnesses in general, which can be harmful to an unknowledgeable audience. This is also the main critique of Instagram infographics.

The Social Media and Mental Health Connection

Instagram Infographics

For one, the oversimplification of complex geopolitical/social issues is presented in a way that can contribute to misinformation. Furthermore, the sharing of these infographics directly contributes to slacktivism.

This isn’t to say that these infographics alone are to blame, but it’s essential to recognize whether or not you’re haphazardly sharing social justice content for the optics.

Press Play for Advice On Navigating Mental Health Advice on Social Media

So, What Makes Good Racial Allyship?

While many of the practices highlighted above are problematic, sometimes this harm is done without ill intent. Nevertheless, this means taking the time to consider how you might be harming marginalized communities is even more necessary. So how do you shift your actions into more effective allyship?

10 Organizations That Support Racial Equality

Good Allies Tend to Exhibit Three Core Characteristics:

The issue with performative allyship is that token actions are used to avoid more meaningful forms of activism, instead of seeing digital actions as a starting point to be supplemented with donating money, protesting, advocating for members from marginalized communities, or volunteering time and skills.

Meredith D. Clark, PhD, researcher and scholarAt its core, the concept of allyship rests on the recognition of power and privilege, and the intentional transference of these benefits to members of subjugated groups.

Meredith D. Clark, PhD, researcher and scholar

At its core, the concept of allyship rests on the recognition of power and privilege, and the intentional transference of these benefits to members of subjugated groups.

How to Better Use Your Platforms

Furthermore, a 2014 survey found that two-thirds of White people had no non-White friends.So digital activism can be instrumental in giving White allies access to racial narratives and state-sanctioned violent acts they may not otherwise be exposed to.However, it is vital not to become apathetic or fall into a false sense of security because of this.

How to Ground Your Actions Into Meaningful Activism

Consider the following:

How to Navigate Your Own Privilege

A Word From Verywell

Even with the best intentions, it is easy for people to fall into performative allyship. However, we all must remain vigilant in the fight against oppression.

While it may have been challenging to see why the social media practices above are harmful, it should now be clear to see why and how we can better show our support. In the end, while sharing a post on social media may feel good, good allyship should center and affirm BIPOC.

Living in a racist society isn’t easy, therefore, the activism needed to fight against it won’t be easy either. It’s time to put meaningful action back into social media activism.

17 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Pew Research Center.Social media conversations about race.

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Schradie J.The digital activism gap: how class and costs shape online collective action.Social Problems. 2018;65(1):51–74. doi:10.1093/socpro/spx042

Lacetera N, Macis M, Mele A.Viral altruism? Charitable giving and social contagion in online networks.SocScience. 2016;3:202–238. doi:10.15195/v3.a11

Chou EY, Hsu DY, Hernon E. From slacktivism to activism: Improving the commitment power of e-pledges for prosocial causes. Capraro V, ed.PLoS ONE. 2020;15(4):e0231314. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0231314

Kwate NOA, Goodman MS.Cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of racism on mental health among residents of black neighborhoods in New York City.Am J Public Health. 2015;105(4):711–718. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302243

Klofstad CA, McDermott R, Hatemi PK.The dating preferences of liberals and conservatives.Polit Behav. 2013;35(3):519–538. doi:10.1007/s11109-012-9207-z

Mallinas SR, Crawford JT, Cole S.Political opposites do not attract: The effects of ideological dissimilarity on impression formation.Journal of Social and Political Psychology. 2018;6(1):49–75. doi:10.5964/jspp.v6i1.747

Cherwell.Everything wrong with social media infographics: An informative thread.

Spanierman LB, Smith L.Roles and responsibilities of white allies: implications for research, teaching, and practice.The Counseling Psychologist. 2017;45(5):606–617. doi:10.1111/jasp.12172

Brown KT, Ostrove JM. What does it mean to be an ally?: The perception of allies from the perspective of people of color: What does it mean to be an ally?J Appl Soc Psychol. 2013;43(11):2211–2222. doi:10.1111/jasp.12172

Kristofferson K, White K, Peloza J.The nature of slacktivism: how the social observability of an initial act of token support affects subsequent prosocial action.Journal of Consumer Research. 2014;40(6):1149–1166. doi:10.1086/674137

The New York Times.How black lives matter reached every corner of america.

PRRI.Race, religion, and political affiliation of Americans’ core social networks.

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