‘Likes’ don’t save lives, says UNICEF Sweden
Passive support on social networks—a.k.a. ‘slacktivism’—is nice and it raises awareness for causes, but the global charity fund needs monetary donations to help those in need.
There’s been a lot of talk on and around social media in the past few years about “slacktivism,” the practice of helping social causes through “liking” a Facebook page, changing a Twitter icon, or sharing a photo on Pinterest.
Some professional activists have praised so-called slacktivists for drawing attention to big issues facing the world, but UNICEF’s Sweden branch started a campaign last month that asserts slacktivism is no cure-all.
The “Likes don’t save lives” campaign boldly states, through YouTube videos and print advertising, that it takes donations, not just social-media gestures, to vaccinate children against preventable diseases and help orphans get out of poverty.
Though UNICEF Sweden didn’t share whether the campaign has actually led to increased donations, copious media coverage of the campaign and nearly 42,000 views of the video would suggest the campaign is getting a lot of attention.
Ongoing debate
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