SNP’s word of the day: Liketivism

Word: Liketivism

Usage: “30 million views and counting? All in a day’s liketivism.” – me

Meaning: A less-hot version of “clicktivism,” which is the practice of promoting causes through social media.

You should know it because: Did you watch the Kony 2012 video this week? Did you Tweet it, Facebook it, “like” it? Did it change your life? Listen. Uganda has been around for a long time, and so have its problems; believe it or don’t, but they haven’t been waiting around for Mr. White Guy to come along and fix everything with some glossy Hollywood documentary and a Rihanna quote. I’m not saying a ridiculously swaggy #StopKony campaign is better than no #StopKony campaign, but I am saying that before you went full Rudyard Kipling on your Facebook status, you should have maybe read a newspaper or two.

Kony 2012 went HAM on all platforms, but Facebook is where it irked me most. I don’t want to go to dance parties to raise money for tsunami victims while they’re still dying, and I don’t want to see your heartfelt “save the children” pleas in between mirror pics and brunchstagrams. The medium should maybe suit the message, no? Many legitimate activists have complained about “clicktivism,” which allows yupster scum like you and me to feel better about ourselves for “sharing” about a “cause,” and “liketivism” (a term I stole from a Facebook friend) is even worse. On Facebook, you’re not lending a hand to help your fellow man; you’re thumbs-upping a fuzzy ideal. Worse, you’re not even saying or learning anything most of the time, just jumping on the bandwagon of someone else’s white-guilt trip. And yes, often any publicity is good publicity and eventually translates into major donations, but if no one knows what to do with the money you might as well shut up. Or at least, please, think before you “like.”

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