Does 'slacktivism' work?
'All eyes on Rafah' image is the latest in a series of viral social media causes but their impact is unclear

Tens of millions of social media accounts have shared an "All eyes on Rafah" image, which draws attention to the mounting civilian death toll as a result of Israel's assault on the Gazan city.
The viral reach of the AI-generated content has revived the debate around the effectiveness of politically charged hashtags and images on social media – often derisively called "slacktivism".
Does 'slacktivism' lead to real-world action?
In addition to being a "bland, AI-generated" image rather than actual footage from the conflict, some pro-Palestinian activists noted with frustration that the "All eyes on Rafah" image comes with "no call to action beyond 'pay attention'; no donation links, no details on how to help", said Dazed's James Greig.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter raised millions of pounds in funding after going viral, said a University of Sussex blog post. But whether this "intense" short-term spotlight translates into "meaningful and lasting social change" is a question that "remains unsettled".
Indeed, studies into whether participation in digital activism around a given cause increases the likelihood of donating money, attending protests or other tangible support have so far been inconclusive.
However, "the idea that online activism replaces offline activism does not enjoy strong empirical support", said Psychology Today, dispelling one of the criticisms often levelled at social media-based campaigns.
Does that mean 'slacktivism' has no impact?
A lot depends on the context. Resharing posts on X or Instagram "might not count for much on its own", said Greig, but in the case of "All eyes on Rafah", the "ubiquity" of the graphic indicates a "shift in consensus" in the West. In a climate where "censorship and repression" of pro-Palestinian activism has been widespread, "we should welcome the movement becoming 'trendy'", even in the "shallowest way possible".
Is all digital activism 'slacktivism'?
Digital activism can mean many different things, Dr Kelly Lewis, research fellow in the Emerging Technologies Lab at Monash University in Melbourne, wrote on The Conversation. While the impact of resharing a hashtag or viral image is hard to quantify, social media is undeniably a powerful tool for organising real-world action.
This can be both literal – protests and demonstrations around the world are now largely co-ordinated online – but also through building "collective networks of solidarity and resistance". These communities can be mobilised to participate in actions ranging from crowdsourced fact-checking to "hacktivism" targeting hostile institutions.
What are the pitfalls of digital activism?
Social media's strength in being able to rapidly spread awareness of an issue might seem like an advantage over older forms of organising, but this can be deceptive, said The Atlantic. In the US civil rights era, boycotts and marches were organised over months and years, during which time activists were "forming and deepening social connections, strengthening and testing the fiber of their movement".
Compare that with Occupy Wall Street, which sprang up almost overnight on social media, but it lacked "that underlying resilience created over time, often lost focus, direction, and, most important, their potential to effect change", until it ultimately fizzled out.
It's also all too easy for "verified facts" and sensitive reporting to be drowned out by partisan "misinformation, political propaganda and irresponsible journalism" pumped out on social media and uncritically reshared by users, wrote Lewis.
Where the Gaza conflict is concerned, the battle to control the social media narrative has "become almost as intense as the physical acts that define war". As demonstrated by incidents of Islamophobic, racist and antisemitic aggression around the world motivated by the conflict in Gaza, the circulation of propaganda that fans the flames of hatred can have "disastrous consequences".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rebecca Messina is the deputy editor of The Week's UK digital team. She first joined The Week in 2015 as an editorial assistant, later becoming a staff writer and then deputy news editor, and was also a founding panellist on "The Week Unwrapped" podcast. In 2019, she became digital editor on lifestyle magazines in Bristol, in which role she oversaw the launch of interiors website YourHomeStyle.uk, before returning to The Week in 2024.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 18, 2025
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - El Salvador, political fundraising, and more
By The Week US
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A sea of kites, a game of sand hockey, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK
-
Trump granting military control of federal border lands could circumvent the law
In the Spotlight The move could allow US troops to detain people crossing the border
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
'This division is not merely economic; it is also ideological'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
America's woes are a foreign adversary's spy recruitment dream
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As federal workers reel from mass layoffs, the United States is becoming ground zero for international adversaries eager to snatch up disgruntled spies-to-be
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Trump's federal return-to-office mandate descends into chaos
In the Spotlight Was the administration unprepared, or was it a tactic to drive employees to quit?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
Jewish communities are wary of Trump's push to punish antisemitism
IN THE SPOTLIGHT While the White House expands its effort to criminalize actions it deems harmful to Jewish Americans, not everyone in those communities are on board with the president's purported assistance.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defense
In the Spotlight The former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
By David Faris
-
'How quickly misogynistic videos show up in users' TikTok and YouTube feeds'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US
-
Why is the US bombing Yemen in the first place?
In the Spotlight The Trump administration's snowballing "Signalgate" scandal has helped refocus public attention onto one of the nation's least-understood military entanglements
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US