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Activism vs. Slacktivism

Posted on by Jenn Chan

One day, I open up my email to find these 3 Questions:

1. Do you think that online activism is actually that, or is it just a passive action?

2. Do online resources for social engagement actually get people to go out and get involved or do they just satisfy a vague need?

3. Do you have anything else to say about internet activism?

So Miss Emily Carson, who is super amazing and inspiring through her work for Global Youth Coalition for HIV/AIDS and going to school at Guelph Humber all at the same time. Emily took my few comments and wrote this great article called Activism vs. Slacktivism

Here is an excerpt:

“I think any kind of activism, whether it be passive or aggressive, is activism,” says Jennifer Chan, of Toronto-based Exhibit Change…[] “Whatever way people want to participate in being more aware, expressing their feelings, researching, and getting involved at a level they are comfortable with is valid. Then if something sparks action, they are much closer to understanding viewpoints and perspectives.”

Dan Pink!

Posted on by Jenn Chan

Dear Dan,

About a month ago, I was super excited to see that you were coming to speak at Rotman Business School of “Management”  (the quotations put there by you).  I have been following you for a few months now on twitter and now I am reading your book “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will rule the world”, a book that I am loving.

So today, after much anticipation, it was finally Dan Pink day!

Thank you for teaching me:

“Are you Hungry?”, as you pointed out motivation is biological. It is deep rooted in our physical make-up, it is what makes us eat. Though I love the double meaning of the question, our motivation is both biological in survival and in our personal missions to propel ourselves further.

I was not surprised to hear, as long as people are properly compensated, monetary incentives can distract from achieving personal purpose.  You spoke about experiments performed by economists that reported cash incentives only worked when tasks were mechanical. And alternatively noted that punishment often results in the opposite behaviour changes than hoped. Management is for teaching people to comply and it was invented a long time ago. So why is it that management thinks that people would do nothing without punishment or cash incentives?   That is something I have long thought about…

Ultimately, here is my message to you:  Dear Dan, I promise to let my motivation lead me. Thank you for letting me know it is ok!

To learn?

Posted on by Jenn Chan

Sometime ago, I was at an old house converted into offices. In the boardroom in the basement there is a button on the light switch face plate indicating “learn”…I immediately pressed it to see what it did.

Nothing.

The button didn’t do anything in the room. That made me think, what a “learn” button would be for. It is probably for something very simple, but it was thought provoking to me. Would pressing a button mean you could learn, were ready to learn, had I learned something by pushing the button?

Is the point that it is just not that easy to learn?