• Meldgaard Newton posted an update 2 years, 1 month ago

    Social activism is basically an organized act with the aim of influencing society to make changes. Therefore, if you are passionate about a certain cause and are determined towards a desired change, you can probably be regarded as an active social Activist. An active social Activist is someone who is actively working towards social change within society. Activism is the use of social media as a way of social change

    The techniques that make up social activism include a variety of different tactics. Some of the tactics that are commonly used by activists are participation in public assemblies and protests, disobedience of laws, disobedience of court orders using various tactics including civil disobedience, disruption of businesses, incitement to riot, and other means of creating social disorder. There are various ways by which these activists can gain publicity and build support. Here are agency of them:

    * Developing Awareness: Social Activists make sure that they are well aware of the issues facing the society. They make sure that they know their rights and do not lag behind in terms of human rights. Human rights are such that when people are deprived of them, they can either go ahead with their rights or suffer consequences. For social activism, it is important that an advocate stands up for his/her rights and tries to gain publicity and public attention.

    * Organizing Social Movements: Activists are instrumental in organizing social movements. They can be broadly categorized into four roles depending upon the kind of movement they are involved in. These are the public interest groups, state actors, powerholders, and grassroots organizations. Public interest groups are people who focus on issues that affect the common good of the society as a whole. State actors are those who make decisions for the betterment of the country, people, and the common good.

    * Developing Alternatives to State Activity: Activists take up different forms of social activism in order to make the state adaptable to the demands of the citizens. They use various tactics like civil disobedience to bring about social change. Powerholders are the ones who have economic or political power in the country. The kind of power holders varies from one country to another. As the activists try to make changes in the social system, these power holders use their tremendous leverage to stop social change.

    * Developing Lack of Understanding: Activists might adopt a linear approach to solving a problem and might not create an alternative solution for the same. This is known as linearity. There is no room for developing social justice as there is no need for consistency. As the social activism fails to make consistent demands, there is a tendency for the activists to adopt a tactical solution that is based on personal interest. In short, they end up with an agenda that is not based on the demands of the people at large.

    * Causing More Harm Than Good: One of the major drawbacks of social activism is that it often involves causing more harm than good. There is a tendency to become over zealous when it comes to social action. When this happens, it is the activists who feel bad about themselves and end up causing more problems instead of solving them.

    All the above mentioned points clearly show that social activism is not all about smooth talking and flowery words. It requires a lot of hard work and consistent effort to accomplish desirable results. The above said factors clearly show that social activism is not as easy as some people might think it is. It requires commitment on the part of the activists. This commitment is required because unless an activist is truly convinced about the merits of a social action, it is not likely that he or she will be able to achieve any major achievements in the movement.