Activism is worth more than a like or repost
Instagram was previously used as a platform for people to share the highlights of their lives with friends and family. Recently, instead of being uplifting, social media has become filled with heavy topics, leading to conflict and heated arguments outside of the app. While it is important to share your beliefs, to me, social media is not the place to display them.
People often hit the repost button to promote trending political causes without educating themselves or thinking about other perspectives. This is a form of performative activism, which is defined as when someone’s actions are intended to improve their own social standing.
On Sept. 10, the death of Charlie Kirk was abuzz at school. Throughout the day, I heard countless stories of what people thought happened, yet no one was accurately informed. When I got home from practice and opened my Instagram, countless profiles and my feed were flooded with reposts of Kirk’s death. Although political violence is never acceptable, Kirk had many beliefs that I find hard to defend. However, under the pressure of complying with others’ expectations, many failed to educate themselves about his views after his death. Instead, people impulsively posted about it. People who have most likely never heard him speak outside of a short TikTok clip tapped the repost button without hesitation, without educating themselves on his actions
Additionally, a shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado took place the day of Kirk’s death. Although this affected many families and led to four injured students, the event barely received any attention online. The amount of reposts about Kirk’s death compared to reposts about the school shooting shows that people do not necessarily pick the most tragic news; they would rather repost something that conforms to others’ and their own, usually underdeveloped and uneducated beliefs.
Although I have causes I support, I do not post about my own beliefs online because individuals already hold their own political stances. I avoid sharing political posts because when someone is set in their opinion, nothing I post will change their views. One’s social media profile is not representative of their genuine beliefs and values. Also, with the amount of content being posted online, it is rare that someone mindlessly clicking through their stories will actually process the message you are trying to send.
It may be hard to keep in mind because of the absorbing nature of social media, but there are ways to express yourself beyond a post or a story. Opinions are more powerful than a click or a scroll; they are showing up for what you believe in by attending protests, educating others and taking actions to truly impact your community.
