By: Cece Han
Edited by: Nicole Cannock
Performative activism can be defined as a form of activism which is done in an attempt to increase one’s social capital, rather than because of their devotion to a particular cause. An individual who engages in performative activism would rather it be known that they are not racist, or homophobic, etc, than actually seeking change for issues concerning race and homosexuality. A prime example of this includes corporations, such as Walmart, who incorporate rainbow designs in their brand during Pride Month while simultaneously financially supporting legislators who are attempting to diminish the rights and safety of those in the LGBTQ+ community. Walmart has donated to anti-LGBTQ+ state legislators, making life for the transgender community difficult. The 19 legislators in Arkansas who received donations from Walmart helped to pass the infamous state law which criminalized gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Performative activism is also prevalent on social media and amongst influencers. However, with the rise of social media and its influencers, there has also been an increase in “cancel culture,” which refers to the phenomenon where individuals and groups are publicly denounced and shamed for a perceived wrongdoing by social media viewers. It is this fear of being “cancelled” that leads many influencers and corporations to speak out on issues. Their lack of authenticity and occasional lack of understanding surrounding the issue often leads them to engage in performative activism.
Should brands have an obligation to speak up on socio-political issues? It looks like the pressure on brands to speak up on current issues has gotten overwhelming. Whether brands should speak up seems to be heavily dependent on the context. What are the brand’s intentions? Its goals? Its approach? A brand’s approach, without a thoughtful execution, increases the “risk falling into the trap of performative activism.” Falling into this trap can lead to backlash and a lasting negative mark on the brand’s reputation. Once performative activism is discovered, consumers are quick to denounce the brand and blacklist their future products. An example of this is the boycott campaign against Starbucks for being allegedly pro-Israel. The boycott came after Starbucks’ decision to not allow its union to post a political tweet regarding the conflict. Viewers online were quick to attack Starbucks and subsequently anyone who continued to use their products after the boycott was declared. Not only does this boycott campaign miss the mark, it actively derails the progress of true activism. Instead of creating informed conversation about the conflict in Gaza, the issue had been reduced to simplified slogans without emphasizing the nuance and gravity of the problem. People who partake in the boycott gain this sense of moral superiority without doing any real work or contributing any actual change to the conflict in Gaza. Ultimately, it is hard to say if brands should be obligated to speak up on current issues given the very demand of their activism requires some level of performativity when and if they do comply with the request.
The convenience of social media has further perpetuated the phenomena of performative activism. A simple video of a woman cooking for her significant other can turn the comment section into a discourse regarding traditional gender roles and the rise of “tradwives.” Another post of someone showing their workout routine can be turned into eating disorder propaganda. It is fatiguing how far people go to misconstrue light-hearted videos and this ultimately comes down to people’s morality complex online, where people need others to recognize their moral goodness. This has rendered society into an era of solipsism powered by social media, which makes productive conversations between individuals with opposing opinions close to impossible. In a time where the world is increasingly polarized, especially in the United States, it seems that performative activism through morally policing others online is only emphasizing the divide between opinions instead of promoting people to come together and settle ideological differences.
A main characteristic of performative activism is the lack of authenticity when brands, celebrities, and influencers come forward to speak on issues just for the sake of it. Although sincerity matters, performative activism may play a more important role in the landscape of socio-political issues than previously thought. Some influencers use their platform to donate food and necessities, and help the homeless population, however, many people seem to have a problem with this, claiming that these influencers are only doing charitable acts for the sake of views. If the homeless are being helped, does the intention behind the act really matter? Content creators are able to make content about anything, yet some choose to make content to help others. So, even if this engages in a level of performativity, does that take away from the help they are providing others? The same can be said of celebrity donations. In this case, good intentions are still important, however if they are making donations regardless of their belief in the cause, some good still comes out of it. This goes to show how performative activism is sometimes necessary in order to bring awareness to issues, even if celebrities and influencers who are often the voices of these issues are not particularly invested in the issues themselves.
References: Image Citation: iStock photo. (2019). Angry activists protesting in a city stock photo. https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1130683204/photo/angry-activists-protesting-in-a-city.jpg?s=1024×1024&w=is&k=20&c=u5xVsyFUVYCKi1rOHsNEsX_gQBr7v4qapcO-k6gocQg=
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