Just Slacktivism? Forms and Motives of Online Activism

This paper addresses some basic questions regarding the ongoing debate about motives and effects of online activism. In particular, it raises the question whether online campaigning platforms are adequately criticized for reducing civic engagement to low cost activities e.g. slacktivism. The main research questions are: What are the forms of online participatory activities preferred by supporters of environmental campaigns? How time-consuming and intensive is their involvement? What are the activists’ motives to participate in different forms of protest and how would they evaluate the effect of their engagement? The analysis is based on qualitative data gathered from 18 semi-structured interviews with activists from the environmental movement in Germany. The paper discusses different motives to create one’s own online-petition, to sign online-petitions and/or to join different social media channels to make use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In reference to the term ‘slacktivism’ activists’ attitudes regarding advantages and risks of online-activism are presented. One crucial finding is that activists, who are highly engaged in online activism and for example create their own online-petitions, are mostly also highly engaged in street activism, like the support of an offline event of an NGO. For them, online activism is an additional opportunity to express their political position. This would counter the assumption that the possibilities of online activism prevent citizens from engaging in street activism.