Why Slacktivism Is Underrated

[Waqas 48]

Katya Andresen is chief strategy officer of Network for Good, author of Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes and blogs at nonprofitmarketingblog.com. You can find her on Twitter @katyaN4G.

So called “slacktivists” take easy, social actions in support of a cause – signing a petition, liking a Facebook Page or putting a pink ribbon on their avatar. But that’s pretty much where their involvement ends, right?

Slacktivists tend to get a bad rap: they lack real commitment, care only about self-satisfaction and don’t contribute to meaningful change. So, why waste time with these lightweight social activists?

Because new research shows just how valuable social actions (however easy) can be.

The Dynamics of Cause Engagement study by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Worldwide shows slacktivists (whom I prefer to call “social championsâ€) are more likely to take meaningful actions.

In the 2010 national survey, people who frequently engaged in promotional social activity were:

• As likely as non-social media promoters to donate
• Twice as likely to volunteer their time
• Twice as likely to take part in events like charity walks
• More than twice as likely to buy products or services from companies that supported the cause
• Three times as likely to solicit donations on behalf of their cause
• More than four times as likely to encourage others to sign a petition or contact political representatives

The survey was conducted in late 2010 by TNS Global among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 American adults, ages 18 and over, with a margin of error of +/- 2.2%.

The bottom line? Just because people are doing something easy on social media doesn’t mean that’s all they are doing. In fact, so-called slacktivists participate in more than twice as many activities as people who don’t engage in slacktivism. Plus, the activities that slacktivists choose to undertake have a higher potential to influence others.

“This research shows good causes should focus like a laser beam on social champions because they will do more, spread more, and advance your cause more,†says Julie Dixon of Georgetown’s Center for Social Impact Communication.

Here are four important tips for people who care about advancing good causes.

• Don’t stereotype slacktivists. Just because people are taking easy actions online doesn’t mean they aren’t willing – or already doing – more for a cause.
• Social champions have real value, because they’re not only likely to undertake certain activities; they’re also more likely to spread the word. The same study found the second most common way people get involved in a cause after donating is by talking to others about it. Word of mouth is critically important, so focus on the people willing to spread it.
• Slacktivists are like the rest of us. They exhibit varying degrees of commitment to different causes. The message here isn’t that all slacktivists are diehard activists. They may be willing to join a Facebook cause for one non-profit, but run a marathon and raise a fortune for another. It’s up to the non-profit to see slacktivist action as a sign of interest, and then to deepen that interest with strong engagement.
• Measure your engagement with everyone, slacktivist or not, so you know your time is well spent. You really don’t know who is worth the most time until you pay attention to the actions people take. Make sure you have the systems in place to determine your return on investment.

Don’t slack off yourself when it comes to engaging with slacktivists. They may be far more energetic – and interested – than you think.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, AnthiaCumming

More About: activism, causes, Social Good, Social Media

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