I’m Swamped! How Can a Slacktivist Make A Difference In The World?

Last Updated on February 27, 2025

I’m Swamped! How Can a Slacktivist Make A Difference In The World?

Life happens. You may be swamped with a demanding job, or young children, or school assignments. Maybe all three.

But don’t worry. Be a slacktivist. With a thoughtful approach, you can incorporate activism into your already-busy life.

Start With Your Life Vision

First, take time to examine your life. Why? A thoughtful approach to activism focuses on your overall life vision. With a clear vision of your ideal life, you will live your values, including in activism.

We can only handle five roles well. You may need to prioritize being a parent or student over activist. That’s okay. In the next section are ideas for how you can incorporate activism into your busy life, without sacrificing your other roles.

Slacktivism For Those Who Are Swamped

Social Media Activism

Slacktivism is a combination of slacker and activism. It means low-effort, low-risk activism opportunities. For example, signing an online petition, liking a Facebook page, and sharing activism posts. Although the word slacker makes it seem useless, it can be effective. Learn how to be a productive slacktivist.

Protests

Protests can be a way to stay connected with others who care about your cause.

This is in-your-face activism. A giant crowd of protesters is a concrete demonstration of people’s beliefs.

If many protests occur in an elected official’s district, they are more likely to support civil rights. And large protests focused on one message are most likely to influence.

Corporate Protests

Activists are using their buying power to advocate for change within companies. Because of this, businesses see activist groups as stakeholders. So, they recognize their viewpoints in company decisions.

For example, in response to the 2016 elections, a group called Sleeping Giants targeted the Breitbart News Network’s bigotry by targeting organizations advertising on the Breitbart website. Nearly 2900 companies decided to defund Breitbart, cratering their advertising income.

Petitions

Petitions float around on many topics, and it is easy for a slacktivist to take part in this type of activism. But do they work? I did not find much research on whether they are effective. However, the website Change.org highlights successful petitions. The site also contains tools to create petitions.

Boycotting

Be a slacktivist with your wallet. Have you boycotted any products because of the producer’s stance on an issue?

Activists boycotted Nike because of labor practices, and the company changed its way of doing business with a strong focus on social justice. Many people boycotted Uber after their drivers “crossed the picket line” during the airport protest on Trump’s immigration ban of seven predominately Muslim countries.

Media coverage of a protest magnifies the impact of a corporate boycott. Also, the boycott works better when the company has a less than stellar reputation at the time.

Ethical Consumer publishes a list of current products and company boycotts. In addition, they encourage “the vote in your wallet,” such as buying ethical products.

[Inspired? Learn more about The Happy Activist.]

Shareholder Activism

Shareholder activism is a form of corporate boycott by those who own shares in the company. A bloc of shareholders voting together can influence the company to change. So, shareholder activists can impact social justice issues in the organization.

At Amazon’s annual meeting on May 22, 2019, shareholder activists placed twelve resolutions on the agenda.

“Representatives of socially responsible investors and activist groups asked Amazon to produce reports on food waste, sexual harassment policies, and the sale of offensive products on its platform, as well as to incorporate sustainability and equity metrics into executive compensation, among other measures.”

Interestingly, a group of more than 7600 employee-shareholders put forth a resolution. They requested that Amazon respond to the threat of climate change. All resolutions failed, but they will likely emerge again in discussions and future annual meetings.

Divestment

If you are fortunate to have investments, you can choose socially responsible funds. These funds focus on organizations with ethical standards.

For example, activists pressured the New York City pension fund to divest from fossil fuel firms and invest in renewable energy firms.

On November 23, 2019, climate change protesters stormed the field at halftime of the Harvard-Yale football game. Their ask: for the schools to divest from fossil fuel companies in their endowment.

This type of protest has grown enough that investment companies are marketing socially responsible funds. If you choose funds, know that social responsibility encompasses a variety of issues. So, be clear how you define it.

Live Your Values

Life can be challenging at times. If you are swamped you may have to put focused activism on the back burner. Still, if you are clear about your life vision and how activism fits in, you can make a difference for your cause as a slacktivist.

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