Is performative activism always bad? A qualitative case study

Abstract

Although performative activism is often disparaged as actions meant to increase the participant's social status rather than make real social change, not much is known about what defines it, and who, why, and where people participate in performative activism, and indeed, if it is a bad thing. The current study examined these questions in a qualitative case study of thirty students on a small residential college campus. We looked at how students understood performative activism in terms of identity (in-group vs. ally), site (offline vs. online), and motivation (ideological vs. peer- or self-focused). We found that students almost universally reported having participated in performative activism in the past, both offline and online, for causes related and unrelated to their social identities, and had multiple motives for participating. It was rare for a student to report completely peer- or self-focused motivations for participating. We conclude that performative activism, though disparaged, seems to be a normal part of young adult political development.