Is Reporting Enough? Why Online Activism Still Matters

Photo Credit: Djemima Duvernat

Contributing Writer

Juliet Legassa

The shift happens almost instantly when a breaking headline drops, and within minutes, social media stops being just social media. Suddenly, selfies and the highlight reels of people's lives get buried under bold-font infographics, urgent captions and the same posts copied and pasted across everyone’s story. It’s like you can see the moment your timeline turns political. 

Suddenly, it feels like if you’re not reposting, you’re silent, and if you are reposting, you’re part of something bigger. For a while, it feels powerful and important, like we’re all paying attention at the same time. 

Then a week passes, and the posts slow down. The algorithm moves on. So do we.

That’s why social media activism gets called overhyped. It can look like we’re confusing posting with the action of actually doing something. An article from Muse Magazine talks about how Instagram story activism can blur the line between awareness and performance. Stories disappear after 24 hours, and just reposting something takes two seconds. It’s easy to wonder whether people are sharing because they care or because they are worried about what others will think, or worried about looking like they don’t care. Nowadays, silence can mean you are okay with what is going on. 

Many Americans seem to feel tension when it comes to posting on social media. According to a 2023 report from the Pew Research Center, majorities say social media can distract from important issues or make people think they’re making a difference when they’re not. There’s a difference between liking a post and actually showing up somewhere to protest and make a change.

Here’s where I think people go too far. The same Pew report found that nearly half of social media users say they’ve done at least one activism-related activity online, whether that’s sharing information, joining a group or encouraging others to take action. Sadly, that doesn’t even seem like a lot. For a generation that gets most of its news from a feed, awareness starts online. Before someone attends a protest, signs up to volunteer, or donates money, they usually see something about it on social media first.

On college campuses, social media is the bulletin board. It’s how events spread, how students call out issues and how conversations start. Even if someone only reposts once, that repost might reach someone who didn’t know about the issue before. 

Awareness doesn’t solve everything, but it does matter.

I don’t think posting a hashtag is the same as real-world activism. It shouldn’t replace organizing, voting or having hard conversations. But I also don’t think it’s fair to dismiss it as meaningless. Social media activism can be shallow, and sometimes it is. At the same time, it gives people a low barrier to entry. It allows voices that might not be amplified by traditional media to be heard. It spreads information faster than any flyer ever could. 

Maybe the problem isn’t that social media activism exists. Maybe the problem is that we expect it to be the whole movement instead of just the starting point.