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6 READING Does social media activism really help? / 12

Read this blog from the website of a young activist.

Gavin the activist

Home Campaigns Action Tips Links About me
Writing a blog is a good way to share my ideas and connect with supporters. But I’m a traditional
activist, so for me real-life activism on the streets is more important than social media activism.
Does this mean that I think social media activism doesn’t work? It’s not that easy. We need to look
at the whole picture. And that’s what I’m going to do today.
Part 1: The good and the bad
5 It’s understandable that people get excited about social media activism. For private users it’s so easy
to find out about and support issues you care about. And for activists it takes little time or money to
get your campaign out to thousands if not millions of people. That’s great, right?
Activists can use social media in other positive ways, too. They can
– find out about important real-time events
10 – follow organizations that they support
– start new groups or join existing ones
– meet other activists
– post comments on the pages of companies they want to influence.
But there are less positive things about social media activism, too:
© 2017 Cornelsen Verlag GmbH, Berlin

15 – Because anyone can post or tweet anything they want, people are often fed information that confirms
their beliefs but is either false or not well researched.
Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

– People often only communicate online with people who they agree with, so there’s no real discussion.
– When online discussions do take place, they turn into angry and ugly arguments more easily, it
seems, than if people discuss things face-to-face.
20 – With the speed of social media, people formulate sharp opinions in very few words about complex
issues. The result is often quick posts instead of thoughtful discussions, simple comments instead
of deep conversations.
– People sign petitions with a click and then let the activists do the rest. They feel that they’ve actively
done something and that feels good. Then they quickly forget about the issue. Some call it “fire-and-
25 forget activism”. Others call it “slacktivism” – a lazy way to speak out.
– Many online campaigns don’t have a clear game plan, e.g. pressuring local representatives or
government offices with phone calls or letters. Their effect is often weak and short-lived.
– Studies show that online activism doesn’t raise as much money as traditional activism. Some
campaigns get over a million likes on Facebook, but 98 % of their followers don’t donate money.
Für inhaltliche Veränderungen durch Dritte übernimmt der Verlag keine Verantwortung.

30 Part 2: Social media as an effective tool

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In my opinion, social media activism can only be truly helpful if it supports real-life activism.
That can happen in a number of ways:
– Lots of problems and issues in the world don’t get reported widely in the media. Social media can
be used to inform people about things that they don’t normally hear or read about.
35 – I explain above how social media can be weak fund-raisers. But sometimes the more important
question isn’t “How much money can we raise?” but “How quickly can we raise money?”. This is
where social media can be useful.
– Social media are good for organizing protests and events. An online calendar that can be changed
quickly and easily is a wonderful tool for an activist.
40 – Groups and individuals can document protests on social media and offer real-time information when
an event changes in some way. This is the best way to get news out fast.
To sum up, traditional activism must play a central role in any movement. But online activism can help
bring more attention to a movement and increase the speed and effectiveness of events on the
ground. It’s a useful tool that no activist group today should be without.

EG Lighthouse Leistungsmessung 6
 2

6 READING Does social media activism really help? / 12

a) Read the statements and find the lines in Part 1 of the text that come closest in meaning.
Write the line numbers.
Statement Lines

1 It’s possible to start a campaign online with a very small budget.

2 On social media activists can have direct contact with businesses important to their
campaign.

3 Not everything you read on social media is true or reliable.

4 People’s comments online are often quick and short, so issues don’t get discussed
very deeply.

5 People feel good when they click on a petition, then they don’t think any more about it.

6 Online campaigns attract a lot of followers, but not many who are ready to give.

b) Read part 2 and complete the sentences with one to three words.

1 Gavin feels that social media activism is useful only when it in the
© 2017 Cornelsen Verlag GmbH, Berlin

real world.
Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

2 On social media people can find out about things that the news media .

3 When organizations need to raise money , then social media can be effective.

4 An online calendar is great for activists because they can .

5 Activists can post things quickly on social media when an event somehow .

6 A movement can get more online, and that makes social media activism useful,
Gavin says.
Für inhaltliche Veränderungen durch Dritte übernimmt der Verlag keine Verantwortung.
Die Vervielfältigung dieser Seite ist für den eigenen Unterrichtsgebrauch gestattet.

EG Lighthouse Leistungsmessung 6