Youth have often been the catalysts for change, stirring the currents of society with passionate activism and unwavering idealism. In today’s interconnected world, the younger generation stands at the forefront of social awareness, fueled by the omnipresence of social media platforms, where peers are pressured into sharing sensitive images of war crimes, political campaigns, and activism. This generation possesses an unprecedented ability to protest, mobilize, advocate, and promote in a manner that bypasses traditional news media outlets. I argue that this newfound connectivity has also fostered a paradoxical phenomenon: while individuals passionately engage in activism, others succumb to a sense of complacency, perhaps due to desensitization because of the overwhelming access to information, relying on superficial gestures to fulfill their sense of social responsibility.
A ‘like’ here, a ‘share’ there, a ‘repost’ to a couple blog pages; a student in a classroom becomes an expert on global politics because of a video posted by a child living in a warzone on the other side of the world. Is this enough action to be considered amongst the historical protests in our history books? The advent of social media has revolutionized how young people engage with social issues. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok serve as virtual town squares, where news spreads at lightning speed and grassroots movements gain momentum with a single hashtag. As Todd Seal wrote, “society doesn’t give teenagers much control over anything.” (Seal, 2006). Social media became a free space for young people to engage; however, the question becomes whether or not the engagement is sufficient. The death of George Floyd and subsequent protests, for instance, garnered widespread attention and catalyzed discussions about systemic racism and police brutality on a global scale, largely driven by social media activism. The ease of access to crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe democratized philanthropy, allowing individuals to directly support causes they care about.
On the one hand, I believe that this generation knows that more can be done, but with the overwhelming access to each other and all the important causes one may care about, there is a superficiality in online activism that often manifests in performative gestures without genuine engagement or understanding of the underlying issues. On the other hand, there is a group of this generation eager to participate in protests; this begs the question, are they participating in this out of genuine concern for the causes at hand or is there not enough risk in personal lives and as Kenneth Whyte writes in his interview with Michael Ungar, this is a chance for young people to develop self-confidence and control in their world (Whyte, 2007). Perhaps the desire to protest strongly comes from the void of not having exposure to knee scrapes from the jungle gym and gentle parenting techniques foreign to older generations.
When dopamine-driven social media culture of likes and shares incentivizes quick, superficial engagement over sustained, meaningful action, a culture of “slacktivism” fosters. Trish Crawford in the Toronto Star notes, “media aimed at children are earmarks of a declining children’s world over the past three decades…all of these have serious consequences for children” (Crawford, 2009). While social media may be used to empower individuals and amplify their voices remotely, it has also desensitized some to the gravity of the real-world. The constant barrage of information, coupled with the fleeting nature of online discourse can lead to a sense of apathy and desensitization.
In closing, the digital age has undeniably transformed the landscape of truth-seeking social awareness, offering unprecedented opportunity for connectivity; however, for most, these acts feel performative. Individuals of this generation would do well to critically evaluate their contributions by harnessing the full potential of digital platforms in order to maintain a commitment to substantive action in the mainstream of human life.
References
Crawford, T. (2009, February 3). “Me first” attitude hurts children, study warns. Toronto Star.
Seal, T. (2006, February 18). What Students Need, But Don’t Get: Thoughts On Teaching. https://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/02/what-students-need-but-dont-get/
Whyte, K. (2007, February 15). Interview with Michael Ungar. Macleans.ca.