Social media activism: use it sparingly and strategically
This article reflects on activism, cultural engagement, and the author’s six-year journey of weighing how social media shapes justice work. While acknowledging benefits like quick awareness and democratized information, it argues that social media activism often does more harm than good. The piece urges a shift toward local church activation and neighbor-level action rooted in relationships.
- The article argues social media activism can amplify rage, shape people toward harshness, and harm mental health.
- It still credits social media with creating awareness and democratizing information.
- It recommends prioritizing local, relationship-based justice work over constant online engagement.
By Tyler McKenzie
I have an activist spirit. It comes from the Spirit. Engaging cultural issues with word, activating the local church … in the broad spectrum of what a minister does, that’s where I like to live. Look at how activist the O.T. prophets, John, Jesus, and the Early Church were! They:
- spoke truth to power.
- worked for justice in their communities.
- preached the Gospel (as they knew it) with boldness.
I’ve been on a six-year journey trying to decide just how much social media should play into my activism. Does it do more harm than good? It’s such a 2026 question, but we must ask it. My experience has been one of experimentation in both directions. In 2020, I used it more. The last couple years, I’ve used it less. After perusing more than a few research studies and opinion pieces, here’s my take:
Social media activism does more harm than good. We should use it sparingly and strategically rather than constantly and impulsively because:
- Its profit engine is built on rage bait.
- It shapes activists (and everyone else) to be snarky, shaming, insensitive, and vindictive.
- It adversely impacts the mental health of all parties.
- It encourages slacktivism.
- It rarely persuades that many people.
Creating Awareness and Democratizing Information
I’m not taking an absolute position here. I’ll give credit where credit is due. There are at least two things social media activism does well!
- It creates awareness quickly … especially for marginalized groups!
Think of all the viral campaigns—Occupy Wall Street, #MeToo, Black Lives Matter. Awareness spread fast! This is why social media activism is more important to marginalized groups who are underrepresented in mainstream media. Pew Research released a national study in 2023 on “Americans’ views of and experiences with activism on social media.” Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents have a more positive view of social media activism’s potential. 43% of Black people, 38% of Asians, and 35% of Hispanics said it was at least somewhat important for getting involved with political/social issues. Only 24% of White people agreed. 43% of Black people, 36% of Asians, and 32% of Hispanics said social media was at least somewhat important for giving them a venue to express their political opinions. Only 21% of White people agreed.
- It democratizes information.
In a country built on participatory politics, how well the people are informed on what’s actually happening is vital. Social media makes anyone with a smartphone an independent journalist and anyone with internet an analyst. Think about the conflict between ICE and Minneapolis’ citizens. Social media brought real-time awareness to what was happening on the streets. When Alex Pretti was killed, two top White House officials quickly mischaracterized him on social media as a dangerous threat who had violent intent. However, videos shared of the event told a different story.
The Harm Outweighs the Good
I still believe the harm outweighs the good overall. Here’s why:
- It’s profit engine is built on rage bait.
The 2025 Oxford University Press word of the year was “rage bait.” It refers to “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive” with the aim of driving traffic to a particular account. While we love dog videos, what really keeps our attention is controversy. Social media platforms are using this against us. It’s called the confrontation effect. The algorithms plays on our bias to focus on the negative over the positive, our sense of duty to address misinformation or injustice, and our desire to be seen as virtuous.
- It shapes activists (and everyone else) to be snarky, shaming, insensitive, and vindictive.
The constant magnification of grievance ….
The unending offensive on your enemies ….
The pressure to win every argument ….
The exhilaration of being shared and adored by allies ….
It does something to people, and it’s not good. Many people who are heavily invested in social media activism become … mean. It’s because the algorithms reward rage bait. Have you seen this in a friend? Even people I agree with, I often wish they would’ve presented their case with more nuance and compassion. It’s how I feel about street-corner-turn-or-burn-evangelists. I respect their zeal to evangelize, but I always think, “Not like that, man! There’s a better way!”
When you live in a rage bait ecosphere, eventually the noxious gas poisons you. We are subconsciously trained to post more and more confrontational content, to see the other side as monsters, and to assume that important topics can only be discussed in antagonistic ways. For onlookers, the never-ending onslaught of rage becomes exhausting. You find yourself muting people you love because there’s a fine line between passion and obsession, prophetic truth and spiritual-shaming, online activism and cyber-bullying. Those who cross that line usually do so slowly and never even notice how far they’ve gone.
- It adversely impacts the mental health of all parties.
The causative link between social media use and mental unhealth has been widely established. The rage bait environment is one of the causes. Some suggest social media is to blame for the epidemic of rage in the U.S. I recently witnessed someone excoriate a flight attendant for requesting she use headphones while watching a movie. Incidents like this are on the rise.
I discovered several peer-reviewed research papers linking anxiety, psychological stress, and depression, to social media activism, particularly for the activist. Online activism brings along with it constant exposure to traumatic events, trolling, and a feeling of helplessness when things don’t change much. Based on the data, if you regularly engage in online activism, you likely carry higher levels of anxiety and anger.
- It encourages slacktivism.
Slacktivism is a term used for those who post online without complementary real-world action. Big brands can be the worst at this. They change profile pictures or post content to support marginalized groups, only later to reveal they were far less invested than what was presented. In a social media age, many of us have been convinced that making a post is the most important thing that we must do. “If you don’t post right now, your silence is complicity!” How did posting on the internet become the litmus test for how much a person cares? Many of the people in my church who care, serve, and invest the most aren’t even on social media.
Social media activism can become the least generous and most performative form of justice work. You can post without getting out of your chair, leaving your house, giving a dime, or confronting another human. It costs almost nothing, but you can feel good about yourself after.
- It rarely persuades that many people.
In her bestselling book, The Scout Mindset, Julia Galef argues that exposing people to “the other side” politically doesn’t usually change them, it polarizes them more. Especially on social media where the content tends to be more incendiary. Back to Pew Research, a majority of Americans—including those across racial/ethnic groups–say the statement that social media “distracts people from issues that are truly important” (82%) or “makes people think they’re making a difference when they really aren’t” (76%) describes social media very or somewhat well. Pew also found that the share of social media users who say online platforms are important for expressing their political opinions is rapidly declining. It fell from 40% in 2020 to 27% in 2023.
Local Church Activation Over Social Media Activism
All that said, I believe social media does more harm than good. We should engage in it sparingly and strategically rather than constantly and impulsively. On a personal level, I’ve seen more lives changed through pulpit-persuasion and local church activation. Chris Butler is a pastor with twenty-five years of experience in civic engagement. He has built a practical theology on how to bring our values into the world. He offers two insights that summarize my thoughts well.
- Justice work should be rooted in personal relationships, not abstract ideology.
- Christians engaging justice should focus first and most on local, neighbor-level action.
Tyler McKenzie serves as lead pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He also produces a fun Bible podcast for parents and their kids called “the Preacher and the Piano man”.
Author: Tyler McKenzie
Tyler McKenzie serves as lead pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He also produces a fun Bible podcast for parents and their kids called “the Preacher and the Piano man.”
