So many events that will go down in history have happened in the year 2020. Coronavirus, the Black Lives Matter movement, the 2020 presidential election, and so much more. People all over the world have shown their support towards these events, and many celebrities and social influencers have become involved in showing their activism. But how do we know they are being honest with the general public and not putting on a show to gain more positive attention?
With the rise of social media, the incoming wave of modern celebrities, and the new idea of “social influencers”, there is much to be discussed about something called performative activism. This type of activism is defined as “a pejorative term referring to activism done to increase one’s social capital rather than because of one’s devotion to a cause.” Basically, performative activism is something someone does to make themselves look like a better person than they actually are, or showing beliefs they think that their audience would relate to which would increase their popularity. These are the people that make it difficult to bring real social change alive as they are putting on a show.
When something incredibly unjustifiable happens, such as the recent death of Geroge Floyd, many people became outraged and spoke out against the American judicial system. However, people who have never shown support for the racial predjudice experienced by many African Americans began to discuss how they have always been huge supporters. Some of these people may have even shown racist tendencies themselves, and have proven to be easily accessible when they are in the spotlight. Many celebrities have been exposed for supporting the BLM movement but have posted racial slurs on their social media. “Modern-day technology allows us to hide behind our screens and show others what we want them to see. Performative activism makes us question if people are actually changing their mindsets or simply appearing to do so out of fear of trying to go along with what they feel is a trend,” (Kelley, 2020).
Is there a way to tell if someone is being genuine online when it comes to social change? Writer McKenna Kelley says “if you refuse to implement your newfound education on racism in real-life environments and not just on social media, then you are not an ally,” (Kelley, 2020). Someone posting a demographic on their Instagram story, or reposting something onto SnapChat does not bring social change. Bringing action to the words you speak does! And this is what a lot of current celebrities and influencers don’t understand. Showing off on social media is not how you support a movement.
References
Kelley, M. (2020, June 15). Performative Activism is Basically Silence. Here’s Why. Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://swaay.com/performative-activism-silence-protest-allyship