Is the Future of Activism Online?

2020 was a difficult year for everyone. It was a year that we will all remember. In the UK we have so far been in 3 lockdowns which have restricted our movement but not our power. Despite the lockdowns activism still made it to news headlines and was highly prominent on various social media platforms. Whilst it was not possible to have mass protests, meet with those in power or attend meetings and events in person, many campaigns and groups still managed to push through and make a difference. Alternative methods were found and relied on such as taking to social media, websites or digital protests and zoom events. In 2020, the UK was the sixth highest country for the highest civic engagement index. Out of the 25 top countries in the index, in 22, Change.org saw a global average increase of 81% in people supporting, or joining a petition on the site. In fact 110 million people have begun supporting online campaigns worldwide. 

Activism has gained a very different look with people beginning new methods to spread the word and take action such as online petitions, social networking and blogging. According to Amnesty International, ‘A crowdsourced research has documented over 140 methods of nonviolent action during the pandemic’. In 2019, the news was constantly reporting on mass demonstrations and protests taking action against the ignorance and inaction surrounding the climate crisis, calling for governments around the world to change their policies and declare it an urgent emergency. In 2020, despite the pandemic, climate activists were still able to thrive for example, on Earth Day a 72 hour live stream was held and digital resources were released for those taking part. Teach the Future has set up various social media platforms such as new Instagram accounts, created a new website and used Slack to organise and work efficiently. Meetings have been held online over zoom allowing easy, covid-safe access. Calls with representatives have been made, members have joined international panels and participated in the Mock COP26. The group has still managed to thrive and reach various goals despite the restrictions.

It could be argued that due to this change in the nature of activism we will become more reliant on digital means rather than face-to-face. Currently, 2021 is proving to be much the same as 2020 with the UK back in national lockdowns and it appears that we may still be facing conditions like these for the foreseeable future. Whilst this is of course not ideal, it does suggest that these online methods will continue well into the year, but what about after that? What about after the pandemic and the lockdowns? 2020 has proved that online activism is a viable and successful option, one that we will likely rely more on even when things return to normal. Online activism is wide-reaching, it takes various forms and it makes it easier to raise awareness of causes and promote events. Demonstrations do not have to be registered or made aware to local authorities, people from around the world can take part and it is easy to use as the world is much more technologically reliant. It is also less time consuming than having to travel and spend hours protesting or attending large events which means that when people go back to work, school or university after the lockdown, they will still be able to access information and take part in activities with just the touch of a screen especially as so many campaigns and resources are now available online because of the technological reliance 2020 created. However, online activism is not without its faults, many would argue that they prefer speaking face to face with people of power or that large, physical demonstrations work better than those held online due to media coverage and the like. It is also important to remember that not everyone has access to good wifi, data or technology meaning that for many, participating in activism online is not possible. It can also be difficult to reach people in power through email or social media and so many prefer doing it in person, this could however, be down to the current pandemic and the government’s current priorities surrounding public health rather than an actual reflection of the limitations of online activism. 

Whilst activism has evolved, the likelihood is that when possible, campaigns will return to mass demonstrations and events held in person as it has always proven an effective method of action and brings with it a sense of camaraderie and power and makes for easy communication. However, after the surge in online activism over the last year and the achievements it has made, it seems unlikely that our current reliance on digital methods will disappear. Now that resources and sites are available online for various campaigns and causes, many will likely still use online activism as a tool to a larger extent than before though perhaps not as reliant on it as during the lockdowns. Methods of activism are always changing and evolving due to success rates, accessibility and achievements they gain. Perhaps activism was always meant to take to the internet as the world evolved technologically and became more reliant on digital resources, maybe the pandemic just quickened the process.

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May, Melanie. “Pandemic Sparks Rise In Digital Activism.” UKFundraising, 1 September 2020, https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/09/01/pandemic-sparks-rise-in-digital-activism/?cmpredirect.

Barber, Harriet. “Covid-19 has ushered in a new era of digital activism – and global leaders are listening.” The Telegraph, 6 August 2020, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/covid-19-has-ushered-new-era-digital-activism-global-leaders/.

Amnesty International, and Daniel Valls. “Activism in times of COVID-19: a time for change?” Amnesty International, 29 May 2020, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2020/05/activism-in-times-of-covid-19/. Accessed January 2021.