Editorial: Online activism or excuse for apathy?

The front page of the Kaimin has been wallpapered with photos and stories about protests the last several decades, whether it was a wall of marchers opposing the Vietnam War or a single woman streaking across the Oval for environmental justice. In the last 10 years, fewer and fewer students have participated in demonstrations, marches and rallies.

An attempt to "Occupy the Oval" Friday quickly dispersed when it failed to reach critical mass. The apparent decline in large public displays of student activism even prompted the University to host a panel last year comparing the "hippies" and activists of the '70s to the relatively muted ones of today.

But current UM students aren't as lazy or apathetic as we seem.

Part of the reason public activism hasn't dominated Kaimin pages like those yellowed in our archives is that mass movements have evolved to fit our increasingly digital social lives. Why paint a sign and picket outside the County Courthouse all day when we can click to share someone else's witty rhetoric on Facebook, grab coffee with friends and reply to commenters from our smartphones?

With texting came flash mobs, and with social networks came events planning that could be spammed to hundreds, or thousands, of "friends" instantly. About the only time paper and stamps are wasted on invitations these days is for weddings, and then only some.

It's so much easier to be an activist and share our opinions from atop a digital soapbox.

The Kaimin wonders, though, if "activism" has become "passive activism" and if we only have a shallow interest in how events play out.

The volume of our reposts, and our tendency to skew funny or mean more often than thoughtful in our statuses, suggests we mostly value news and issues that are easy to mock or boldly quirky. We bet the photo your mom posted of you as a three year old with a chili bean up your nose has more comments than your link to a story about this summer's debt ceiling debates. While social media is a powerful tool for connecting like minds and building support behind new ideas, it can just as easily create an echo chamber for our indulgent impulses to whine and joke.

We're not suggesting that you quit sharing videos of kittens doing cute, crazy stunts. We only hope that when someone crafts a thoughtful status or invites us to occupy physical space at a rally, we are just as likely to comment or hit "Yes" to that RSVP.