For months, every time I’ve scrolled through Instagram or tapped through Instagram stories, I’ve seen many people posting about political, social, and economic issues that are occurring throughout the United States and even the world as a whole.

Because of the great uproar in activism, some people saw it as an opportunity to jump on the bandwagon, and try to boost their social image or followers by reposting posts that educate others on what the issues are and how to help. By treating activism as a trend, they have created an entirely new problem to face: performative activism.

Performative activism is the action, or really lack of action, that occurs when people say they support the causes they are posting about, but are only doing so in order to increase their social status. 

For instance, on June 2, many Instagram users posted black boxes for Blackout Tuesday to show their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Although the people who posted these boxes likely had good intentions, the posts did more harm than good since information about protests and how to actually help people who have experienced racial injustices was washed out by the many black squares.

Another example is simply putting up quotes that show support of the organizations and activism that you support. Really, creating an image with a quote does not actually truly help anyone.

Advocating for issues and causes is not a bandwagon. There are real issues in the world that will not end by simply posting about supporting activism. 

Additionally, there have been less posts about advocating for causes in the past few months in comparison to May and June of this year. With less posts, it is clear that many people felt that activism was a trend since they have stopped posting about it after others stopped posting about it as well.

Because many of the people who do performative activism are teenagers, some may find it hard to not participate in performative activism because they may see that as the only way to help. However, there are many things that can be done from a young age to show support for specific movements and organizations.

Being active with your advocacy is the most important step to show true support for organizations and movements. If you can, giving support through donations is often an appreciated way of showing support. However, by simply educating yourself on issues at hand and trying to educate others about it as well, you are showing true support and activism.

Also, do not be silent with your activism because it does not help anyone. To be a true ally for causes that you support, you need to stand up for what you believe in. Even if that is done by spreading awareness about specific issues or simply correcting people when they say things that are harmful to others, you are being a true activist for your cause.

Being an activist is not about centering activism around yourself, but instead centering your activism around the people that you are advocating for.