Last week, the American Supreme Court heard arguments in the cases on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage at the federal level as between a man and a woman (and has implications such as Social Security benefits and family medical leave protections), and Proposition 8, which outlaws gay marriage in California. In anticipation of these arguments, hundreds of thousands of Facebook users changed their profile pictures to an equal sign to symbolize the equality they felt homosexuals deserve when it comes to marriage and its benefits.
I’m not going to preach to you about which side should win, but I will point out how little of an effect this act has on the Supreme Court’s decision.
Not only do the justices probably not even have Facebook profiles, but the opinion of Americans has no effect on the outcomes of Supreme Court decisions. We all learned in middle school that justices have life terms, and this is exactly why. In a perfect world, they will look at the case strictly through the lens of the Constitution and its amendments.
However, since this isn’t a perfect world and the Constitution can be interpreted in many different ways, each justice’s decision will most likely be somewhat influenced by their own political ideologies (which, yes, even Supreme Court justices have). At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if everyone on Facebook has an equal sign as their profile picture — the Supreme Court will deliberate among themselves without a single mention of anyone’s Facebook pictures.
This highlights a disturbing trend happening on Facebook and other social media outlets where people are getting their daily dose of feel-good by “sharing for 10 prayers” or liking a picture of a sad little boy who “needs 100,000 likes for a new kidney.”
Not only are these things desperate pleas for attention and clearly not true, but they are also most often based on misinformation and are simply stupid people taking advantage of stupider people. This “slacktivism,” an act that makes someone feel good but has no effect on the issue at hand, is pervasive in social media. Showing the Supreme Court how the American populace feels with a profile picture is pointless. Liking a picture of a boy who needs a new kidney will have absolutely no bearing on whether or not he gets his kidney.
The Kony 2012 craze last year was a perfect example of this social network “activism.” The trend ended up being the Invisible Children playing up a problem that is currently almost non-existent in the area. This is a dangerous trend. It’s making people feel good for doing nothing. There are so many better and not-that-difficult ways to show your support for causes you believe in.
If you feel bad for the kid with no kidney, then sign up to be an organ donor. Believe in equal rights for homosexuals? Go vote for a politician who will make it happen. Donate money to reputable charities or do some volunteer work. Almost nothing you do on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram will have any real effect on the real world, especially when it comes to helping those in need.
End slacktivism, because it is doing much more harm than good.