Performative activism is cheapening social movements. It has become a hollow display on social media, filled with people who join viral trends for visibility rather than actual impact. Instead of contributing to lasting change, performative activism often twists serious issues into fleeting moments of online attention, hurting rather than helping those it claims to support.
Take the recent Starbucks boycott as an example. What began as a protest against Starbucks’ decision not to allow its union to post a political tweet quickly became a distorted rumor. Social media exploded with claims that Starbucks was funding violence in Palestine, urging people to boycott based on misinformation. Many online jumped on the trend without understanding the truth, and before long, shaming and sending hate messages to anyone spotted with a Starbucks cup became more important than tackling the issue itself.
“Most of the time, I really appreciate the sentiment behind boycotting,” sophomore Cali Carss said. “However, boycotts tend to be something people take and run with in order to feel like activists, and in those cases, it becomes more harmful than anything.”
Performative activism doesn’t just miss the mark. It actively derails progress. People who join a movement without the right intentions prioritize optics over outcomes. These performative activists gain visibility, followers and a sense of moral superiority without doing any real work. Instead of creating informed conversations about issues like labor rights or the war in Gaza, they reduce these issues to oversimplified slogans and hashtags, erasing the nuance these conversations require.
“If you don’t have the right intentions, it doesn’t matter what the outcome is,” sophomore Ally Lombardo said.
Performative activism also lets people stay comfortable. It allows participants to post a TikTok, consider themselves activists and move on without ever examining the root of the problem. Real activism, by contrast, demands uncomfortable actions. It requires understanding, engagement and commitment that go beyond the moment’s convenience. Boycotts in the Civil Rights Movement and the grape boycott for farm workers in the 1960s were impactful because people understood that true activism isn’t about making oneself look good; it’s about doing what’s right, regardless of how it’s perceived.
True activism requires one to go beyond social media. Real activists ask difficult questions, confront their assumptions and engage directly with those affected. By simplifying issues and focusing on appearances, performative activists end up hurting the movements they claim to support. People looking to create actual change should turn away from social media “trends” and commit to deeper, more honest engagement with the causes they care about. Performative boycotting may earn likes, but it won’t change the world.
