Facebook groups are only one step toward activism.

July 4, 11:23 AMSocial Media ExaminerHeather Shoenberger

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Facebook groups can inspire activism.  Ex. oraganize a walk for your cause.

Facebook users have the option to join a page that represents a cause. They could join a ‘stop hunger’ page out of concern for the starving or they could join some other type of charity. These groups are easy and free to join. In addition, they require no action on the part of the person who joins. The fact that people can join one of the many activism driven pages but not act has led some to believe that the membership numbers on these pages is worthless.

It is unrealistic to think that social media will be any more effective in organizing a movement than the person who is sitting in front the computer screen. The activists who created the page have added to the exposure of their cause but have not necessarily led people to act.

Many human atrocities are committed every day. However, there are not many people doing anything to stop them. This was true before the internet and it is true now. Some people become concerned about an issue and dedicate portions of their life to address it but most people feel a little guilt over not acting and are able to live peacefully anyway. Social activism is by and large a thankless job, the fulfillment of which does not present itself through riches or recognition. Sadly, social media cannot, on its own, change this fact. However, social media has the ability to connect many people and thus the “group administrator” has the potential to have a vast audience’s attention. If the “stop hunger” page organized local events that people could easily participate in, they may be more successful.

If a group uses their exposure to further organize events outside of social media, there may be more participation. For instance, joining a group to stop hunger may increase awareness and exposure of that cause but the click to join that group could be the end of the participation. If a group uses their page to organize a march or a volunteer event – the chances of participation are greater.

In an article in the Washington Post (7/2) Monica Hesse wrote that “the release of Fouad Mourtada, imprisoned for impersonating a member of Moroccan royalty online, was attributed in part to protests that began on Facebook and Flickr and spread offline.” There are many examples of movements that have gotten momentum from Facebook groups. The idea behind the groups could work but it takes passionate people to use the media in a way that will encourage people to participate.

A quote from the article by a sociologist Sherri Grasmuck, read, “I become the social movement as an affirmation of my identity, rather than choosing the social movement because it matches my identity.” Grasmuck, is probably correct. Many people join a page or a cause to add depth to the narrative they have established on their Facebook page. However, the reason behind the first click is far less important than what a group does once they have that member on their page, reading their updates and further lending exposure to their cause.

Most people are not going to do anything more than click on a group’s page and continue on with their individual lives. Yet, just interesting five additional people in a cause who may never have been exposed to it in any other way is worth it.