Do virtual protests make sense?

In these recent weeks, street protests with flags, signs, chants, and involvement of associations have been at the center of public debate, for more than one reason. First for school and wars, and later for femicides. Not to mention the strikes, like the one organized by Mondo Convenienza workers and, on the other side of the world, by authors and actors gathered under the union guild. In a few days, there will be a large national mobilization organized by Non Una di Meno in Rome and Messina, on the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In short, taking to the streets, raising one's voice with strong vocal cords and some kind of sign or slogan is the essence of protest. It's a public, liberating, group act. Its effectiveness may be questioned by the cynics, but protests still hold value, perhaps more than ever today. Even if just because they make us feel a sense of community that we have somewhat lost and with which it would be desirable to reconnect.

Not everyone can join street marches

Not everyone, however, can participate. The reasons are varied and personal. There might be an issue with crowds, which not everyone likes; in fact, some have a phobia of them. Not everyone, due to physical or even mental abilities, may feel comfortable walking a lot. Lastly, there's the age factor. It's not guaranteed that the parents of the very young would allow them to participate in gatherings that, if they touch on causes particularly disliked by the established power, could turn out to be a bit chaotic and dangerous, where being recognized becomes a risk. Anonymity, in these cases, is challenging to maintain. Photos are taken, and they could create some problems. What do you do in these cases? A group of users on the online gaming platform Roblox, for example, decided to organize a virtual protest on the site, with their avatars, to call for a ceasefire and express support for the Palestinian cause. On Roblox, 60% of users are 16 years old or younger. A way to make their voices heard without risks.

Online protests, on Roblox and beyond

This protest on Roblox is certainly not an isolated case. After Donald Trump's election in 2016, young users invaded Club Penguin's servers to protest against the president's victory in an election for which they were too young to vote. In 2020, young people confined to their homes due to Covid turned to Toontown, Habbo, and Roblox to organize Black Lives Matter demonstrations amid lockdown restrictions. The same year, Hong Kong activists used the newly launched Animal Crossing: New Horizons to criticize Chinese President Xi Jinping, creating digital banners with his face, eventually leading to the game being banned in Hong Kong and China.

Symbolic significance: the very young get involved

Regardless of pragmatic utility, these virtual protests are important for two reasons. The first is the simplest: one must not underestimate their symbolic significance. These protests are the first opportunity for very young people to express their opinions, to manifest themselves in the public sphere and participate in public discourse from which they might feel excluded, deprived of expressive outlets and agency. Secondly, it still involves community impulses. And here lies the difference between protests on Roblox and social activism, in the group dimension.

The difference between virtual protests and social activism

Since the advent of social networks, the word "activism" has been emptied of its meaning, simply turned into an adjective or a qualifier to add to the word influencer. The problem, however, is that one cannot be an influencer without placing oneself at the center of every issue. It serves to inform, certainly, to push the undecided in one direction or the other. But it often also serves to consolidate a personal brand, something that tends to empty it, depower it, and earn it the label of performance. Social activism is valid up to a certain point, especially if linked to earning possibilities and disconnected from a serious inner awareness, and it will never replace street protests for a simple reason: those who do it, do it alone, as an "I." The search for "us" on Instagram is often superficial and one-sided, the community largely a passive audience. These sixteen-year-olds on Roblox, anonymous and eager to contribute, are giving us a good lesson: there is no activism without putting ego aside.

Differences Between Street and Online Protests: November 25th

However, the distinction is not only between virtual and social protests; in fact, another difference, zooming out even further, is between street protests and those on platforms like Habbo, for example. It's definitely a generational matter. Some very young people, also due to the lockdown, seem to have lost touch with the collective dimension, or even avoid it. It's not the case for everyone, and this effort to reconnect is more important than ever, and it should move from online platforms to the outside world. Let's take a concrete example: Non Una Di Meno has decided to organize buses for people to join the two national protests happening in Messina and Rome, as mentioned in the first paragraph. To self-finance, they are hosting events and markets, and they're also offering the option to pay for someone else's ticket. It's a kind of "suspended coffee" that allows others to participate, especially those who might not afford it. Because what is feminism if not community?

Looking for alternative ways

We're not saying that all social activism and its representatives are to be discarded, quite the opposite. Participating in protests is not mandatory, and doing so forcefully may end up being counterproductive. What we're saying is: how much of the ideas we put forward do we really feel? How much is, instead, the result of some kind of social obligation, where the only thing that matters is saying it on Instagram and not in life? Furthermore, how would the world change if, alongside sharing posts on social media, there were assemblies with friends, online or in person, serious discussions held around a table, and perhaps some kind of involvement with an organization that fights on the field? Unity is strength it's not just an old saying from a team sports coach, but also the truth.