How to turn slacktivists into activists?

Is it possible to turn slacktivists from people who sign the petitions, put likes and make reposts in activists who assist not only on the Internet?

The term “slack”-the transliteration of the English word “slacktivism” formed from the words “slacker” (loafer) and “activism” (activism) -is used to designate people whose help is not in any real actions in practice, but in likes, reposts and other activity on the Internet that can be carried out without going out of home.

Discussions do not subside around this term and standing behind it - some believe that slate replaces real actions, while others are sure that global changes can still be with a hashtag and can occur using Twitter or YouTube.

Probably, there is no only true opinion - despite the fact that in some cases, instead of like, it would be much more effective to perform any action in the real world, in other situations a simple repost is able to increase awareness of the problem and ultimately contribute to its solution.

From this point of view, slacktivism, if used correctly, can contribute to the creation of positive social changes. For example, one of the most high -profile campaigns of last year - Ice Bucket Challenge - was largely based on slate - likes and reposts, which, in the end, made it viral and helped not only collect $ 100 million (which is 4 times more collected a year earlier), but also tell millions of people about side amyotrophic sclerosis.

Therefore, the question here is not whether the slacktivism is something good or something bad, but how organizations are best used to use this resource and involve cochlers into further activities so that their help is not limited to like only.

Small actions and further involvement

According to one of the studies of slacktivism , published in Chicago Journals, how organizations initially involve coalists, determines how effective their support will be in the long run.

As the study showed, in cases where the organization asks for little assistance, this can lead to more involvement in the future. A request for private support works similarly - it, unlike public support, also often leads to a further involvement of a Schactivist.

And on the contrary, if the initial act of support is very noticeable socially (for example, the change in the avatar on the social network as a sign of support), then the person who performed this action is less inclined to do something else. This can be explained by the fact that when a person does something socially noticeable, he rather seeks to impress others and create a certain image of himself than to make some important and good deed.

Based on these research results, the authors of the Whydev website have prepared tips that can help better involve coalists in socially useful activities.

• Enjoy people more in personal assistance, and not in public actions. Small personal assistance always has a chance to turn into serious support and participation in the future. For example, you can ask to write a personal message with support to someone who helps your organization.
• Talk about the values ​​of your organization. In fact, people like to support what matters. If the values ​​and goals of your organization find a response from your supporters, it is likely that they will move from slate to more constructive help.
• Rely on the desire of people to be consistent. As you know , people are more likely to put an ugly sign in front of their house, calling for careful driving, if before that they agreed to stick a small sticker on their window. This is due to the desire and need to be constant in their actions. Therefore, if your initial request for help corresponds to what you want to ask in the future, you are more likely to succeed in this.
• Make sure you have a call to action. If you ask for something, make sure that your request is clear, like how your supporters can help you with this.

Thanks to these simple tips, you can help the Slactivists turn from people who like likes, into those who can support you and others, more real actions when there is a need for this.