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Ruwandi Perera checks whether online activism is as effective as it seems

Thirty years ago, China witnessed one of its darkest hours in history – the ‘June 4th Incident’ – when over 10,000 civilians are believed to have met their deaths at the hands of military troops. What began as a student led protest in Tiananmen Square ended in a bloodbath that China continues to try and keep under wraps.

Compared to the past, activism, protests and campaigning have become part and parcel of our lives today, thanks to the internet. We may not have held placards and marched down the streets but many of us continue to e-sign our names on several petitions for a multitude of causes.

Be it to uphold women’s rights, say ‘no’ to Angora wool, demand a heads up from the government when there are power cuts or even support an antipollution drive, the web has turned many of us into activists!

Today, it’s very easy for people to make their voices heard and even the smallest person is empowered to make a difference. Web activism, digital campaigning, e-advocacy or social media activism… whatever name we call it, the underlying principle of online protests is the use of electronic communication tools to spread awareness and community engagement.

Not all online engagement initiatives are geared to demand our rights. There are broadly three types of activism on the web: raising awareness, organising initiatives and demanding action.

Raising awareness is among the most successful forms of online activism given the internet’s ability to provide compelling audiovisual content. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and videos speak millions!

For instance, some campaigns such as the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral in 2014 (and was repeated in consecutive years thereafter) were successful in spreading awareness on motor neuron disease and encouraging donations to ALS research, whilst keeping it fun and ‘share friendly.’

Organising initiatives that call for community engagement isn’t easy when it comes to online activism. While the internet is useful to gather troops, whether or not these keyboard warriors would step out of their homes to do something about it is in doubt.

For example, take a beach cleanup promoted on Facebook. Many will ‘like’ the campaign, share it and even say they’re ‘interested’ in taking part; but more often than not, only a fraction of them will head down to the beach.

In that sense, the internet can be quite deceptive due to its speed and reach – and the community engagement it offers will always appear greater than it actually is. While any e-campaign or initiative can make a lot of noise very quickly, it may also die equally fast – so it is difficult to implement.

Another illusion that the internet creates is making individuals believe that they’re part of a large network of people who agree with each other. However, the fact remains that although they may engage with others online, the essential element of human contact is missing. Which is also why these engagements aren’t sustainable.

The game becomes somewhat unpleasant when the internet is used to demand action, mostly from political parties or corporates, since this more or less delves into the realm of online attacks by hackers.

Demanding action or reactions reflects a more aggressive use of the internet to achieve a political or financial goal but even if the end objective is for the greater good, the consequences can be unfavourable. Having said that, some hackers have done a lot of good for the internet – such as Apple’s Steve Wozniak who initially made blue boxes to enable anyone to make free long-distance calls.

So it boils down to how online activism is used to make a change through action or reaction.

How often have you clicked on a message that asked you to help by signing an online petition? Whether or not you meant it or took time to view the end result, e-petitions can and do work – but not always.

While thousands of petitions of the likes of banning President Donald Trump from visiting the UK officially or demanding free childcare when both parents are working have been unsuccessful, there have been victories as well – such as the opposition to Thailand’s blanket amnesty bill.

Change.org reports that more than 200 million people in 196 countries strive to bring about change and some are succeeding, which renews hope.

Online activism has several sides to it, much like the offline alternatives. And while it can be mistaken for ‘slacktivism’ or ‘clicktivism,’ there’s nothing that a strong argument, original content, a little luck and good timing can’t overcome.