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This is a guest post by Tania Lown-Hecht from the Outdoor Alliance.
In the last decade, social media has transformed how people relate to each other and the rest of the world. For people who experienced their adolescence before the Internet, this digital world can sometimes seem like a simulacrum of the “real thing.” Most of us have heard complaints about “slacktivism” on our social media feeds, the phenomenon where people post about advocacy issues they care about on social media.
Critics of slacktivism believe that social media posts amount to little more than making the poster feel briefly good about him or herself. While I initially bristled at the idea that social media advocacy could be effective, over the past year I’ve fallen in line with my millennial brethren. Here are five pieces of evidence that “slacktivism” is anything but slacking — and that we should all be using this low-investment, high-yield form of engagement to get what we want from policymakers.
The takeaways? Social media is one of the best ways to stay informed — and keep your community informed about issues that matter. Writing or responding to a policymaker on Twitter or Facebook has a huge impact. Sharing a story about public lands, wildfires or climate change does not go unnoticed. And, most importantly, discussing issues online or in person are the pre-cursor to citizens getting more involved on issues that matter — and that’s what it’s all about.
P.S. Find Outdoor Alliance on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date with advocacy opportunities, public lands mayhem, and our secret desire to tour the country in a remodeled Airstream.
Image: Staya via Flickr
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