Younger generations like Gen Z have proven to be more involved in activism in comparison to their older peers. Driven by a sense of civic duty and empowered by social media platforms to speak out, young individuals often come together to advocate for change and raise awareness for social issues they care about.
However, since most of their activism takes place in the digital space, this has given way to performative activism. Described as activism that boosts one’s social image instead of reflecting genuine commitment to the cause, performative activism can be observed in many current campaigns on social media.
Last year, an AI-generated image of Gaza gained widespread attention online, with numerous users reposting the image — seemingly to raise awareness. The image did not depict the true horrors and violence faced by Palestinians. Instead, it was an ambiguous graphic of what seemed to be tents with the words “All Eyes on Rafah” at the center.
This image largely gained attention on Instagram, with millions of people reposting it to their stories. The “Add Yours” feature made it effortless for users to do so, resulting in its virality. Despite the seemingly positive intent behind its popularity, the image faced criticism for promoting performative activism rather than meaningful engagement.
To incite real change and raise awareness, we must be discerning about the content we choose to promote on our platforms. If not, people often oversimplify complex social issues and exploit them to promote an ‘activist’ image of themselves that they want to portray on social media.
The AI-generated image presents a sanitized portrayal of the reality in Rafah. It has become an empty symbol of an important issue — reduced to a quick reshare. Palestinian activists have spoken out about more effective ways to raise awareness, including sharing statistics and firsthand accounts that more honestly convey the devastating impacts on the ground.
The virality of the AI Rafah image has been compared to the “Blackout Tuesday” trend on Instagram during the Black Lives Matter movement. This trend involved users posting a black square on their feeds and pausing their content for the day, intending to showcase solidarity as a virtual protest against racism and police brutality.
This trend, just like “All Eyes on Rafah,” faced backlash for its hollow and ineffective form of activism that values creating online buzz over real-world change. Activists emphasized that the Black Lives Matter hashtag should serve to keep people updated on real cases and injustices — not be overshadowed by posts of empty black squares.
This form of activism can be contrasted with earlier forms of protest that predated digital platforms and required physical effort and community coordination. For instance, during the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955, African Americans refused to ride the city buses and walked miles to protest segregated seating. They walked miles to work, organized carpools and protested for more than a year.
This kind of protest involved considerable personal sacrifice, extensive planning and required a community to come together. While online forms of protest are much more accessible and reach a wider audience, they can have significantly less tangible impact and lack the commitment seen in historical examples.
Still, this does not mean that modern-day protests lack influence. The Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 sparked nationwide protests fueled by the police killing of George Floyd, drawing global attention to systemic racism and police brutality. This demonstrated solidarity and reignited conversations surrounding racial inequality.
Performative activism reflects how society prioritizes the appearance of political correctness over genuine concern and commitment to social justice. By removing our focus from performative gestures, we can ensure that our digital advocacy contributes to meaningful progress instead of fleeting trends.
Deanza Andriansyah is an Opinion Staff Writer. She can be reached at dandrian@uci.edu.
Edited by Jaheem Conley.