OPINION: Does social media help or hinder feminism?

Performative activism on social media is temporary and may one day be more of a hindrance than we realise. Katie Wheatley dives into the impacts of social media activism and the consequences it can have for feminism.

To put it simply, there’s no easy way to answer this question – and I certainly don’t have all the answers. Everyone will have their own opinions on such a subjective and complex topic. But just as long as we all agree that we hope, one day, social media only acts as a helpful tool in working towards equal rights, that’s all that matters.

It’s great to see so many people sharing educational resources on their Instagram stories, and they really do travel far and wide. But for some, their actions on social media reek of performativity. Take the ‘Girls Night In’ which happened a few weeks ago, a boycott of nightclubs across the country to show they need to do more to prevent spikings – the number of people who shared the infographics to their stories was great, but how many of them actually avoided nightclubs that evening and will continue raising awareness of spikings in their area now it’s passed?

It’s so easy for people to share things for the sake of it and it often has a snowball effect. They’ll have seen their friends share a particular graphic and have a subconscious obligation to do the same. Yes, this gets the message out there and starts important conversations, but for how long?

Performative activism on social media is a temporary action towards a cause and may one day be more of a hindrance than we realise.

Although posting a pretty pink graphic can attract you to a post, it can simultaneously trivialise feminism. It reduces the important messages that everyone needs to understand and implement in their lives to something that’s easy for men to ignore.

Most men will scroll past them without batting an eyelid, which is of course their own fault, but let’s not give them a reason to ignore us anymore and leave them with no choice but to listen.

The discussion generated on social media can sometimes cause more harm than help, with trolling becoming more common by the day. In my view, until the day users have to prove their identity to join a social media platform, we’ll keep going round in the same circles. Although those of us who want to make a change are trying to create and join safe spaces on the internet, it’s difficult to get them out there as far and wide as possible without those who aren’t welcome inviting themselves in – putting people at further risk of harassment online.

The next time you go to share something on social media, consider what your motivations are for sharing it. Will you take the time to learn more, or is it just an empty gesture to conform to what everyone else is doing? Will you start important conversations about the topic and call people out who are in the wrong?

Social media activism will only be the answer to combating gender inequalities if people start taking the time to properly read, engage and understand what’s in front of them, so why not lead by example?

Edited by Michelle Almeida