Supporters of Greenpeace’s campaign against Nestlé cheered this week when the corporate food giant presented a formal plan created in collaboration with The Forest Trust to stop using palm oil from rainforest-destroying suppliers. According to Greenpeace, this is the result of their anti-Nestlé campaign, which included a satiric Kit Kat commercial that garnered over 1.5 million views, inspired a couple hundred thousand emails to the company and an assault on Nestlé’s Facebook page. Taking steps towards saving the habitat of orangutans in Indonesia is great, but that’s not the really remarkable thing. This is slacktivism moving from online to offline.

Slacktivism is a somewhat touchy subject, as it refers to when people want to do good or advocate for a cause, but basically aren’t willing to get off the couch to do it. Some people argue that this is better than nothing, others argue that it essentially is nothing. Largely as a result of new media, it is much easier now to join a campaign or cause than it used to be. Not so long ago, if I wanted to battle Nestle, I would have had to first hear about the issue, most likely through print media or word-of-mouth. Then, I would have to get up, write a letter to the company, get the company’s address, put a stamp on it, walk it to the mailbox and hope that it got to the right person. Now I can send that same letter with a mouse click, and if I’m worried that no one will read it, I can openly attack the company and publicize the cause, perhaps inspiring others to join. I don’t have to go to a rally, which may or may not be in my area, and if I want to donate money, I can do that on my phone. But is that necessarily a good thing?

In some ways, no. The hope is that when you join a cause, you do so because you are willing to invest in it, not because you read a friend’s status update and figure, why not? Really making a change requires more than sending an email; in the case of Nestlé, it would also mean a personal boycott of their products, which would require at least a little research into their other products, and it may mean you can’t eat things you really enjoy, like Kit Kats. Here, you’re involved, you’re invested and you’re essentially using your shopping habits to vote against the company in a way that impacts their bottom line.

However, this does take a little more effort, and your personal ban on Kit Kats might not garner much media attention. A mass of people essentially posting open letters slamming a company and clearly incurring its wrath does make the news, and can quickly grow impossible to ignore. At the same time, maybe this makes it too easy to join a cause. You spread yourself thin when you’re signed up for dozens of mailing lists and newsletters soliciting you for money, constantly donating your online status or profile picture, voting for what charity should receive funding, signing digital petitions, forwarding action emails and emailing politicians–especially if you’re doing this for a number of causes which caught your eye. Eventually, you probably drop off a few of those mailing lists. You’ve made your voice heard, an action which has value in itself, but outside of that, what have you done? Slacktivism can create the illusion that you’re doing good, when really, you’re not doing much at all.

We all have to pick and choose, and while there an infinite number of charities and organizations and campaigns which are worthwhile, most of us don’t have the time to really participate in more than a couple at a time. The success of Greenpeace’s campaign against Nestlé is the exception, not the rule. Me being a skeptic, I’m sure that powerful lobbyists, public relations representatives and executives working behind closed doors are the ones who really made change. New media has certainly been a boon for activists all over the world, raising awareness and funds on an awe-inspiring level, but don’t be fooled that digital petitions and Facebook are enough to change the world. That is done with hard work and time donated by people who are committed, inspired and focused.
–Emily Long

Speaking of ways to make a difference, volunteer with The LAMP this summer!

The LAMP Volunteer Newsletter May 2010 The LAMP needs you! In this volunteer newsletter, we have great positions for everyone, including one paid position for LAMPcamp facilitators! We have lots going on over the summer with LAMPcamp (see right) and can’t do it without help from enthusiastic volunteers who are passionate about media literacy. We hope to see you soon! Needed: Event Support The LAMP is holding its first benefit from 7-9pm on June 9 at the Double Windsor Brooklyn. We need people to help out with tickets, set-up and tear-down from 6-9.30. Since it’s at a bar, volunteers must be a minimum of 21 years old. If you or someone you know is interested, please send an email with your resume to Emily Long. Needed: Facilitator for LAMPcamp (paid) The LAMP needs facilitators for its Bronx and Brooklyn sessions of LAMPcamp. Applicants should have some experience teaching families and young children, as well as some background in media. A working knowledge of media literacy and its concepts is preferred. Applicants should also be enthusiastic, patient and quick on their feet to adapt to challenging situations and groups. If you or someone you know is interested, please send a resume and introductory email to Education Director Katherine Fry. Needed: Fundraising Consultant The LAMP seeks a fundraising consultant to assist in grant writing and research. This person should be flexible and enthusiastic about both The LAMP and media literacy, and will work closely with the Executive Director and Communications Director. If you or someone you know is interested, please send an email with your resume to Emily Long. Needed: Game Designer The LAMP would like to develop an interactive online game to help teach media literacy. This project is in its early planning stages, and we are looking for a partner to work with us from the beginning to design and implement the game. If you’re interested, please send an email with your resume and/or link to your portfolio to Emily Long. Needed: Guest Blogger The LAMP is seeking guest bloggers for The LAMPpost. Expectation is for blogger to submit one post per week on a topic relating to media or media literacy. Past blogging experience is preferred, as is familiarity with the Wordpress platform. If you or someone you know is interested, please send an email with two writing samples to Emily Long. Needed: Video Archivist We are seeking one energetic volunteer to archive classroom materials produced by students. This individual would need to be able to convert from DVD to mini-DV, organize and categorize mini-DVs as well as curricula and projects; in addition the volunteer would create a library of projects and LAMP materials with a retrieval scheme. Expected time committment would be 5-10 hours per week. If you’re interested, please email Emily Long. To help us continue our services as New York City’s only nonprofit organization giving free media literacy workshops to parents, youth and educators, please consider a small tax-deductible donation. Featured Opportunity: Volunteer at LAMPcamp! The LAMP is thrilled to be running two LAMPcamps this summer, one with the Prospect Park YMCA at the Park Slope Armory in Brooklyn, and the other at Mount Hope Housing Company in the Bronx. We need people to help manage equipment, teach students to edit video, work with students on their projects and generally assist workshop facilitators. If you’re interested, send an email to info@thelampnyc.org. Connect with us on: Explore our website! LAMP Home LAMPpost Blog LAMPlit Resource Guides The LAMP will not share or sell your email address.  Period.



Nixon being interviewed

May 4, 1977: The first installment of David Frost’s interviews with former president Richard Nixon is broadcast. Since his resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal, Nixon had never before apologized to the American people, nor had he admitted any wrongdoing. Because he resigned, and then was pardoned by President Gerald Ford, there was no formal impeachment trial, and many Americans lacked a sense of closure which was necessary to leave Watergate in the past and move forward. In 28 hours of interviews which were edited down to four 90-minute segments, Frost carefully maneuvered against Nixon’s canned responses and reluctance to discuss the details of Watergate. Ultimately, Frost’s strategy paid off and Americans were delivered a televised apology: “I let down my friends. I let down the country. I let down the system of government, and the dreams of all those young people that ought to get into government, but now think it too corrupt.”

A Coke for Santa Claus

May 8, 1886: The first Coca-Cola was served in Atlanta, GA in Jacob’s Pharmacy. The drink was created by Dr. John Stith Pemberton, made from carbonated water and a syrup he invented. The famous logo was designed by his bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, who also suggested the name. The logo has remained in use by the company ever since, and is one of the most recognized logos worldwide. Coca-Cola advertising campaigns have played a major role in popular culture and history; the company credits its 1931 Christmas advertising campaign as  spearheading the modern-day image of Santa Claus as a round, jolly bearded man in a red suit, and the brand figures prominently in movie classics such as The Gods Must Be Crazy, Dr. Strangelove, One, Two, Three and hundreds of others. Advertising campaigns and product placements such as these have given rise to thousands of individual collectors of Coca-Cola memorabilia internationally, further cementing the the company’’s place in history as managing one of the most enduring brands ever.

WWI Recruiting Poster using Neuve Chapelle

May 14, 1915: Crisis struck the British home front during World War I when the London Times reported that casualties suffered in Britain’s first offensive in World War I were the direct result of inadequate ammunition in the field. What followed became known as the Shells Crisis, and a nightmare for the ruling Liberal party and Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith. After an extremely poor performance at The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, Field Marshal Sir John French told Times war correspondent Colonel Charles Repington that a lack of munitions was the reason for having lost over 11,000 men and gaining only 2 kilometers of ground in the battle against Germany. (However, it has also been suggested that French blamed the munitions shortage to cover up his own failings in leadership.) This touched off a whirlwind of fury which resulted in the creation of the Ministry of Munitions with Lloyd George at the helm, and Asquith was forced to accept a coalition government with George. Whether the Shells Crisis story was carefully maneuvered hype or genuine reporting, the story galvanized the public, brought down the government, and Britain went full force into World War One.