Why Does Slacktivism Exist? What Can Marketers Do to Overcome this Issue?

In a study conducted within college aged-Facebook users it was revealed young people who join groups  on Facebook are hesitant to share a viral advertisements within their reference group if they experience a sense of intrusion when faced with provocative messages by an organisation. However, if there is a benefit to them in terms of satisfying their need for self-status seeking within group participation, then they are more likely to share this information to others (Chu 2011, 40). Therefore in cause and not-for-profit marketing it can be assumed that slacktivism exists because generation y are more concerned with social media activity that exhibits to others that they are part of a group by supporting campaigns in an online context that others support, in an attempt to achieve self status and recognition. The barrier that prevents them from actively participating in cause relevant activities is the actual connection they have with a particular organization and the level of information they are exposed to.

Social media if used effectively can be a useful tool for organisations to gain brand awareness and connect with audiences on a more personal level. The benefit of using social media for marketing campaigns allows greater exposure and frequency than most traditional media because of its potential to become viral. A recent study on Facebook revealed that this form of social networking site provides an opportunity for marketers to generate a lift at each stage of the marketing cycle, suggesting that social media should be considered as an integral part of their overall marketing mix (Lipsman et al 2012, 46)

Figure 1 depicts that to effectively engage with generation y for political marketing, an integrative approach using traditional and online media would be the most relevant. A purely online technique would be unsuccessful because millennials need information from a range of sources in order to take action (Robinson et al 2010, 23).

Since slacktivism is a fairly new concept and therefore lacks relevant literature on the subject, it is important to consider other alternative concepts that may explain elements of why this issue exists in society. This is why we can explore the issue identified by Monno and Abdul in relation to tokenist participation is the fact that in many non-government organisations (NGO) and political activist groups planners prefer to limit participation to information and consultation which then gives no assurance to citizens’ that their concerns and ideas will be taken into account.  A core aspect of the tokenistic participation concept is based who is to participate and how, which identifies that although individual participation is a quantitative phenomenon, it is not apparent that individual participation has the capacity to intervene in complicated planning issues for political activism. (2012, 99) This notion can be applied to further understand the issue of slacktivism within generation Y because individuals may feel a sense of hesitance to collectively participate if their contribution is limited to the motives of the planners of activism. Marketers can use this as an opportunity to reassure millennials that their participation can and will make a difference, if they are willing to engage in a range of integrated marketing communications and not just participate online.

Reference:

Chu, Shu-Chuan. 2011. “Viral Advertising in Social Media Participation in Facebook Groups and Responses Among College-Aged Users.” Journal of Interactive Advertising 12 (1): 30-43. http://web.ebscohost.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au

Monno, Valeria and Abdul Khakee. 2012. “Tokenism or Political Activism? Some Reflections on Participatory Planning.” International Planning Studies 17 (1): 85-101. doi: 10.1080/13563475.2011.638181

Lipsman, Andrew, Graham Mud, Mike Rich, and Sean Bruich. 2012. “The Power of “Like”: How Brands Reach (and influence) Fans Through Social-Media Marketing.” Journal of Advertising Research 52 (1): 40-52. doi: 10.2501/JAR-52-1-040-052

Robinson, Kristen, Megan E Keith and Victoria D. Bush. 2011. “Summary Brief: An Investigation of Social and Traditional Media Interaction on Generation Y Political Intentions and Behaviour.” Society for Marketing Advances Proceedings: 23-24. http://web.ebscohost.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au