Instagram and TikTok have become two of the most important platforms for social activism, providing space for advocacy and community mobilization. The growing focus on aesthetics and virality has led to several critiques of performative activism, where ostensible support has far outweighed actual substantive impact.

Performative activism has now become a symbolic gesture of viral dissemination, such as the black squares at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Many critics argue that such campaigns, which start with a call for solidarity, simply divert attention from actionable change, prioritizing visuals over results. Similarly, the trend-oriented culture on TikTok often turns activism into some form of entertainment by having users do challenges or dances related to serious causes, reducing them to brief, irrelevant moments of entertainment.

This aestheticisation of activism runs the risk of commodifying social justice. More commonly, influencers use activist messages to boost their brands, utilizing socially conscious content to gain likes and followers rather than working for change. Indeed, visibility is important to any movement, but reducing it to a shareable format undermines deeper understanding and action. This phenomenon requires such platforms to campaign differently. Fostering collaboration with grassroots organizations and taking care to make campaigns promote actionable next steps can help bridge the gap between online engagement and real-world impact. Ultimately, these platforms must balance their role as a means of visibility with their responsibility to promote meaningful, authentic activism.

Sichen Liu 33775722