Alex Jones and Activism

A few classes ago, we briefly discussed Zeynep Tufekci – not because of something she had done related to technology, but for an article that she had written. Our discussion made me curious about her, so I found myself stumbling upon one of her opinion articles for the New York Times titled We Should Try to Prevent Another Alex Jones. This article was published October 16th, 2022, and it not only details the recent implications of Jones’s harsh defamatory statements, but also the consequences of communication through media platforms. 

Alex Jones was appropriately shunned from multiple social media platforms after blatantly accusing the parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School students that had been killed in the mass shooting of conspiring with the government in some sort of cruel scheme to put stricter gun laws into place. Tufekci goes on to elaborate on how one of the families had to leave their home due to threats from nearby residents that fell for Jones’s horrendous lies, further proving how his statements only added insult to injury. Even though Jones was ordered to pay $965 million to numerous families in order to help make them whole, nothing will come close to healing them from what they have faced, especially after his shameless defamation. This occurrence opens the door to the consequences of vast social media platforms where practically anything can be posted. In her article, Tufekci states, “the key issue is, the current media ecology makes it lucrative to lie outrageously,” and I couldn’t agree more.

In my opinion, activism on social media has exponentially increased since the pandemic. On platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and (most importantly) Twitter, it has become common for people to advocate for others and share their opinions, even if it’s just a hashtag in their bio. Activism on social media platforms has proved to be beneficial on numerous occasions, whether it is helping those that are secretly struggling to feel seen or heard, allowing teenagers to be exposed to the opinions of others, allowing social movements to become nationwide or worldwide, or creating networking services in which individuals can form groups and communities that share the same ideas. However, the negative effects of activism on social media cannot be denied. As I was researching for my blog post, I Googled the phrase “false activism.” This search yields results including “slacktivism,” “pseudo-activism,” “clicktivism,” “hashtag activism,” and more, but I find the term “performative activism” to be the most fitting. 

Performative activism is defined by the Boston Medical Center as “activism that is done to increase one’s social capital rather than because of one’s devotion to a cause. A person who is taking part in performative activism would rather let it be known that they are not racist (sexist, homophobic, etc.) rather than actually seeking to change the racist structures within our country.” I think it’s important to consider how performative activism can often replace true activism, especially when movements move to social media in order to gain further traction and attention. In a similar article I found by a student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the author elaborates on how she attended a Black Lives Matter protest with her close friend in late 2020. After attending this protest, she was telling her friend about how she felt as if things were going to get better, to which he responded, “It’s never been better, it’s always been like this. This isn’t the first time a Black person has been murdered and it has caused an uproar. White people will protest with us and post black squares on Instagram in solidarity but eventually white people will stop coming, they will continue to post ‘Black Lives Matter,’ for a while but it eventually dies down and nothing changes and the cycle continues.” To me, this quote highlights the brutal honesty of performative activism. If people utilize technology and only technology to voice their opinions and support, then no real changes will occur. Technology is an incredible platform in which social media can allow people to become more aware and find others that share their opinions, but if movements never move into reality, then no improvements will take place and the cycle will continue.

Alex Jones is a perfect example of the worst parts of social media, with his outrageous lies emphasizing how a majority of media statements can turn out to be desperate grabs for attention, publicity, or retweets. We can no longer stand by like paparazzi, feeding into the hate by allowing hateful individuals to gain our attention and drain our energy. No matter what you want to call it, I believe that if clicktivism, slacktivism, or hashtag activism continues to be the prime mode of communication for social movement groups, then no real change will ever take place. Do you think that social media activism is more beneficial than harmful? If so, do you think that all activist movements should fully take place through social media platforms? If not, how do you think that false activism through social media can become more impactful?