[OPINIONATED] Online Activism – The impact of online campaigns and communities in invoking real-world environmental changes

Online Activism – The impact of online campaigns and communities in invoking real-world environmental changes

By: Leora Kissoon

Activism on internet platforms has completely changed the way people interact with environmental concerns and spread awareness, enabling movements to grow at previously unimaginable speeds. These campaigns use social media to distribute messages over widespread networks, reaching millions. This rapid growth works particularly well for environmental issues, where there needs to be a clear sense of urgency and strong support to efficiently push for an adjustment.

Greta Thunberg's #FridaysForFuture project is a popular and well-known example. This historic event began in 2018, with Greta protesting for greater action against climate change in front of the Swedish parliament building, which took off on social media, attracting a lot of attention. Weekly rallies calling for more climate change management solutions worldwide were organized using the hashtag to promote participation. Her work’s success is an example of how internet activism can turn a small, local action into a global motion that applies pressure on governments to change their environmental regulations. She also showed how easy it is to invoke action, address political concerns, and directly pressure policymakers where they may not have been able to previously. By gaining public support online, they create viral activism that forces governments and corporations to respond.

The aim to make one-use plastic straws illegal is another example of powerful social media campaigning. The dangers of single-use plastics were highlighted to the world by a video that went viral showing a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose, suffocating it. Due to the increased awareness, there was extensive lobbying and urges for alternatives, which prompted multi-million corporations like McDonald's and Starbucks to make a vow to attempt to stop providing plastic straws and search for a new option. Many people have begun to use silicone, glass, and plastic reusable straws. This demonstrates how important and effective reforms may be caused by internet campaigns.

The #MeatlessMonday campaign is another success story of internet activism too. In an effort to decrease their damage to the environment, this hashtag urges people to skip eating meat on Mondays. The effort, which has been popularized on social media, has attracted support from a lot of celebrities and organizations, gathering worldwide recognition. The increasing awareness has resulted in a larger discussion on the advantages of plant-based diets for the environment and a great increase in the use of plant-based foods in households and plant-based options in large fast-food chains.

Another rewarding result of online environmental activism is the #SaveTheArctic movement. This campaign, led by large eco-friendly groups like Greenpeace, used social media to spread the word about the dangers of oil drilling and climate change on the Arctic’s ecosystem. Millions of people have joined the campaign thanks to its strong messages. Artists around the world have created works depicting the damaging effects that are about to occur due to human recklessness if action is not taken soon, which has created a large audience to apply pressure on businesses and governments throughout the world to #SaveTheArctic. The success of the movement has brought about worldwide policy talks and led to big firms agreeing to scale back their Arctic exploration, oil mining, and drilling efforts.

Internet campaigns unite people internationally, making complicated environmental concerns seem more relatable, pressing, and fixable. Through attention-grabbing content like images, videos, and hashtags across many social media platforms, these campaigns encourage participation in driving towards environmental change. However, their success relies on gaining and maintaining momentum and online engagement so that it is reflected in real-life action, which is not always a guarantee.

Social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter are crucial for environmental activists. These platforms eliminate traditional communication barriers, allowing activists to directly engage with a global audience. For example, #LandBack and #NoDAPL have shown Indigenous-led environmental campaigns, while Instagram’s visual content makes complex issues more approachable.

Reddit also plays its own role in environmental activism through subreddits like r/Environmentalism, r/ZeroWaste, and r/EnvironmentalAction. These allow discussions on issues ranging from deforestation to plastic alternatives and solutions, often leading to successful movements. For example, there was a Reddit-led online rally to protect the bees that led to a large number of signatures on a petition, influencing decision-makers to deal with the use of harmful pesticides and educating more people to be conscious of their environment. This has pushed more people to hire professional bee removers to their homes to help protect their local bees.

Online activism has also called for more corporate accountability. Hashtags like #BoycottNestle and #StopAdani have educated many people using social media, leading to a large customer reaction and boycott, forcing companies to shift to more sustainable practices. This drive by customers to make sure companies adopt better actionable steps toward greener manufacturing presses companies to be more responsible regarding the environment and ethics, demonstrating how digital campaigns can appeal to corporate change.

Critics argue that “slacktivism”— minimal online engagement such as liking posts or signing petitions — can be ineffective and pointless. However, slacktivism plays a role in raising awareness and can inspire deeper involvement. Simply liking or interacting with a post in any way helps get the algorithm to boost the post to a wider usership. Accumulation of these small engagements can introduce environmental issues to new audiences and users who do not follow such topics, laying the groundwork for more action and wider involvement.

While online activism has achieved notable successes, it also faces challenges, such as the spread of misinformation and the risk of becoming insubstantial without offline action. False information can undermine a campaign’s credibility, and real change often requires practical efforts beyond online participation. Balancing online engagement with direct action is essential for achieving meaningful environmental impact.

Despite these challenges, online activism holds promise for future environmental campaigns. Digital tools will improve organization and mobilization as technology advances. Online activism may continue to promote global change by bolstering the efficacy of environmental campaigns via the integration of online and offline initiatives.

Online activism has shown to be quick and successful, despite what some may say. Where it may have taken months to organize and gather enough participants to encourage real progress, social media hastens the process. This is necessary, as it has been shown that many environmental issues the planet faces today pose an imminent threat to the entire world.


Sources:
Slacktivism. (2024, August 17). Wikipedia. Slacktivism - Wikipedia

Greta Thunberg Is TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year. (2019, December 11). Time. Greta Thunberg: TIME's Person of the Year 2019

Staff, G. (2021, November 10). Save the Arctic - Greenpeace USA. Greenpeace USA - We Fight for a Greener, More Peaceful World. Save the Arctic - Greenpeace USA