Posting versus Acting

In our modern day world, it can be easy to conflate “posting our opinions on social media” with “taking meaningful action.”

We say what we feel, we hit “share,” we see some “like’s” come in, and it feels good. We get a little rush. We feel productive. We’ve accomplished something. We’ve done our part. We’ve entered the conversation. We’ve taken action. 

Yet - have we?

Posting our opinions on social media is just that - posting our opinions on social media. Oftentimes, we post these opinions to a community of people who share our opinions and beliefs. We often find ourselves in an online echo chamber. 

Now - this is not to say that there isn’t a place for conversation, dialogue, and sharing on social media. There certainly is. Social media is an excellent place to discover new content, great thinkers, and new perspectives. It’s a great way to connect with people - especially right now when it’s more challenging to connect via traditional means - and to engage in conversation. It’s been inspiring to see the focus on elevating different voices and perspectives during these recent weeks. 

However, I’ve observed a few problematic narratives - both generally over the last few years, and in recent weeks, which can be summarized as follows:

• Posting on social media = taking action 

• Not posting on social media = being silent and complicit 

• Posting on social media is a replacement for having conversations, doing hard work, and taking action 

• Talking about doing something replaces actually doing something 

While social media can be extraordinarily helpful for the reasons mentioned above (creating community, conversation, dialogue, and awareness of different voices and perspectives), posting our opinions on social media still doesn’t equate to meaningful action. And, on the flip side, just because we aren’t taking action on social media doesn’t mean that we aren’t taking action or taking a stand. In fact, some of the most engaged, awake, and committed (to various causes) humans I know either a) aren’t on social media or b) haven’t posted since 2017. Plus, some of them are often working off-grid in remote locations across the world where they don’t actually have access. 

I would like to propose that we examine our tendencies to equate “posting” with “action” and that we stretch ourselves to get out of the tiny boxes and out into the world. 

Here are some ways that we can do that. 

• Read a book. There are tons of great lists of recommended reading that are being curated right now. Here’s one (anti-racism resources for white people) and here’s another phenomenal list from Crooked Media. 

  • Start a book club. Pick a book to read with a friend or a couple of friends. Right now, a couple girlfriends and I are reading So You Want to Talk About Race. 

  • On your team at work, let everyone pick their own book to read. Cover this book as part of professional development. Come together at the end to talk about what you learned. 

• Make a donation to a cause that feels important to you.

  • Do your research. Make sure you know what the organizations stand for, how they work, and what their principles are.

  • Donate locally or nationally or in whatever way feels right to you.

  • Values are not philosophies or beliefs. They are choices and actions. How and where we spend our money is one example of our values in action. 

• Reach out to friends and colleagues in other cities.

  • Talk about what’s happening there. Talk about their experience in their city; share your experience in yours. Brainstorm how to get involved or how to take positive, meaningful action. 

• Help with cleanup efforts in your city. 

  • Clean up buildings, broken glass, and damage. 

• Support local businesses. 

  • Find the businesses in your area that are owned by people of color. Check out Black-Owned Wall Street for a directory of black-owned businesses. 

  • Try a new restaurant that you’ve never been to before. 

  • Support a business that has been damaged or destroyed. Buy something. Buy a gift card. Post a positive review. Many locally owned businesses have experienced destruction just days after re-opening due to COVID-19. This level of hardship is not something that most businesses are set up to endure. Small businesses are part of the heart of our cities, and many are struggling mightily right now. 

• Bring what you are learning into your daily life and work. 

  • Incorporate new ideas, new perspectives, and new points of view into your work and onto your teams. 

  • Work to continually deepen your understanding and expand your perspective. 

  • If you’re already championing efforts along these lines, keep doing what you’re doing - and thank you. 

• Expand your community (in real life). 

  • Get to know folks in your neighborhood who you don’t know right now. 

  • Try out a grocery store or restaurant in a different part of town. 

  • Get out of the bubble that you live in. 

• Perform an act of kindness.

  • Take someone a meal. 

  • Drop off some groceries. 

  • Offer to mow someone’s lawn. 

  • Our world could use more kindness right now. 

• Have conversations. 

  • Get to know people. 

  • Ask questions. 

  • Work to understand viewpoints that are different than yours. 

There are many things we can do to take positive, meaningful action. While social media is a great place to get exposed to new ideas, perspectives, and thinkers and to begin conversations and dialogue, much of the work that follows requires us to put down our phone and step out into the world. 

Wishing you all love and light as we continue to navigate these times together. 

Sarah