What Does Woke Even Mean?

People like to be in the know about what goes on in the world around them; politics, pop culture, and social issues affect what we see and do each day. It’s good not to be clueless. Online, being intelligent and informed is all the rage. On social media, it’s exciting to be the first to share a hot take or pick a fight with someone they disagree with. People love being right even more than knowing the 411. Social media is the platform reserved for these interactions. Calling a stranger out for something inappropriate or inaccurate is easier when they exist just on a screen. 

The past few years have seen far too many cases of this through people debating various social issues specifically on the Internet. With conversations about police brutality, reproductive rights, and the COVID-19 pandemic that dominated from 2020 to 2022, there was as much critique of the issues as there was arguing about how everyone handled it for themselves. Within these social movements, there was a tangential conversation about performative activism, defined by writer Sandrine Jacquot as “activism with the purpose of increasing personal gain or popularity as opposed to showing genuine support of an issue, cause, or movement.” 

Jacquot believes that the intention of a person’s social media activism is hard to discern when it’s on a screen. It is impossible to know the motivation of someone you don’t know on Instagram or Twitter, making it difficult to gauge how sincere people are when they post about gun control or climate change. When we share something on social media about a social or political issue, I would argue that we like to think we truly care and believe we are doing the right thing. It is likely a good thing to bring more attention to inequalities or injustices in the world, but as more people are pointing out, there are potholes we fall into. 

Even though the younger generations have been turning out for protests and school programs at higher rates in recent decades, there is a growing concern about the sincerity of the youth’s efforts when activism work gets done online. It is just as easy to judge performative activism as it is to do it, which is a challenging conversation for some to face when we fall short. Understandably, so many engage in performative activism; it is simply easier to do. A repost, retweet, screenshot or text, is no doubt quicker than donating, participating in a walkout, or researching the issue. 

Taking the extra step does not have to be a leap into the deep end of activism; it can include using online information resources others share, learning from them, and passing them on. At first, protests may seem intimidating, but going along with someone else, a friend or family, makes it more approachable. Not everyone has to be a perfect activist, but opening yourself to learn what comes after an Instagram post can be a small push forward for a larger movement.  

IG: @madd.ymoore

Sources:

https://theobserver-qiaa.org/social-media-activism-accessible-or-performative 

https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/09/taft-youth.html 

https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/10-ways-youth-can-engage-activism

Cover photo courtesy of Pinterest.