It’s also quite invalid to assume no sacrifice or cost to something like this. It is the very least you can do, but, for example, I’m connected via Facebook to a number of people (family, business contacts, etc.) who do not share my belief in marriage equality. They believe quite the opposite, in fact. Some of those people have power over aspects of my life, and therefore power over aspects of my family’s life, and my advertising openly about my beliefs may have tangible consequences.
My real name is attached, therefore what I say has a real cost. Never think otherwise. It’s the very reason people hide behind pseudonyms while online.
Actually I think changing one’s profile picture on a social media site can be very much like standing at a busy intersection holding a sign. It is a public statement of support seen by family, friends and passersby.
People are crediting election results and other tangible results to social media campaigns. They can have an impact.
I didn’t do it until this afternoon because on the one hand, obviously I’m for marriage equality. On the other hand, I hate the idea of being all “look how liberal I am now can I have a cookie?” I changed it in the end because, as I think about it, I do have a lot of Facebook friends who are either agin’ it or don’t think much about it, and seeing my support may affect their idea of who supports it.
I think it is better than standing at an intersection with a sign.
People standing in intersections are annoying and
annoying people is not a way to get people to consider your position.
Since always and if no one thought to articulate it, it’s certainly implicit. If an issue is contentious, the act of having an opinion on it is activist. There’s no one on the other side of child abuse or breast cancer. It can be assumed that whether my profile pic is a pokemon or not, I’m against child abuse. There are people who disagree about marriage equality and making a statement of support, unless you are completely locked down to only being visible to friends and all your friends are ardent supporters of GLBT issues, contains some, however slight, element of risk. Certainly, I hope that people who do change their profile are doing other things within their community, but I always hope for greater local involvement in general. I’m not going to denigrate people for demonstrating support for a position, even if it’s gaining in strength, that a lot of people will attack.
I think the symbol is fugly, too. But so many people on my FB page are pro equal marriage rights that it’s filled with more detailed posts. The few dissenters aren’t speaking up right now.
Rachellelogram, I can’t figure out if you’re an activist or actively defending the right to do nothing at all. You do seem passionate but I’m not sure what about.
My FB is full of them too. Amusingly enough, 98% of the people on my feed who have changed their profile pic refuse to change it or repost statuses for cancer awareness, or child abuse, or not clubbing baby seals or whatever. Because that would be slacktivist bullshit.
Giving lip service to one’s pet causes on the internet without putting in any effort to make real-world change is a meaningless gesture with zero effect. I know actual people who think they’re making a difference in the world by advocating gun legislation or speaking out in support of abortion/feminism/SSM/etc on their facebook pages. Then they have the balls to compare themselves favorably with activists who actually go out and **do **shit. These people (slacktivists) and the mindset they represent (slacktivism) are goddamn ludicrous.
Frankly, I don’t care what causes you (general) support, whether it’s a shitload or none at all, whether I agree with you or not. But sitting on your ass 5 hours a night and pretending to be an activist on facebook *while engaging in no actual activism *is hypocrisy. And that’s when I get pissed.
It is not hypocrisy when, as pointed out above, you are on permanent record in your social network with regard to a controversial issue. You are forcing the conversation on people who might otherwise wish to ignore it. It is exactly as effectual (or ineffectual) as a protest march.
Anyone else seen this crop up on facebook. I am frankly surprised, and pleased, to see certain of my friends and family post this as their FB profile picture.
I think it’s hilarious that pretty much everyone on my FB feed who has taken part flatly, nay stridently, refuses to change their profile pic or repost a status stating they think cancer sucks, babies should eat, and puppies shouldn’t be kicked. Because they hate slacktivism and doing one’s alms before men.
I subtly changed my profile pic to include the sign in the picture because I still wanted to have the same pic I had before, but still support the sentiment. I have never changed my profile pic during one of these memes, but this one felt worth it. Plus, like I said, I am surprised at some of my staunchly right winged friends and family posting it. People never cease to amaze me.
I had a 65 year old lesbian friend (actually someone far my senior in academic circles) thank me because I was the only person on her or her (essentially) wife’s friends lists that had, and she’d been waiting to see if anyone would make even that small statement. So it was worth it for that-- it’s worthwhile to make people (we’re talking about humans that we know) know that someone supports them. It’s not a sacrifice but it can matter.
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