Identifying the Predictors of Participation in Facebook Pictivism Campaigns

Abstract

Several events in recent years have motivated Facebook users to change their profile pictures to raise awareness about an issue within their network (Cofff, Chapman, & Coffé, 2016). For instance, when the Human Rights Campaign urged people to change their profile photos to a pink equal sign in support of marriage equality in 2013, 120% more profile picture changes were made than usual (Bakshy, 2013). Then, within days of the US Supreme Court's ruling to legalize same-sex marriage in 2015, over 26 million Facebook users updated their profile photos with a rainbow flag in support (Dewey, 2015). In fact, recent research discovered that approximately 39% of all adults engage in political or civic activities on social networking sites, such as posting or commenting on political content, encouraging others to vote, and encouraging others to take action on political or social issues that are important to them (Smith, 2013). Changing one's profile picture on Facebook allows an individual to participate in online social campaigns that are often centered on a contemporary social issue or charitable cause. Such participation has been termed clicktivism, but this contemporary means of civic engagement has also been referred to as slacktivism, defined as a "low-risk, low-cost activity via social media whose purpose is to raise awareness, produce change, or grant satisfaction to the person engaged in the activity" (Rotman et al., 2011, p. 821). Some examples of this can be liking pages on Facebook, sharing videos online, or signing online petitions (Y.-H. Lee & Hsieh, 2013). While some research indicates that such public tokens of support do not lead to more substantial contributions to the cause (Kristofferson, White, & Peloza, 2014), others argue that even small symbols of support, such as changing one's Facebook profile photo, can spread awareness of issues in a network and lead to significant action (Cofff et al., 2016; Vie, 2014). In fact, individuals who frequently engage in

Information Sharing on Social Media by Multicultural Individuals

“…Besides, numerous studies asserted that attitude directs the decision making process and influences behavior (Bohner & Dickel, 2011;Lee & An, 2018). Therefore, studies have identified that positive attitude towards a social media platform encourages users to like, comment and share which is considered as positive sharing behavior by users on that media platform (Oeldorf-Hirsch & McGloin, 2017). Based on the above discussion, the authors of this study put forward the following hypothesis:…”

Under the Shadow of Culture and Politics: Understanding LGBTQ Social Media Activists’ Perceptions, Concerns, and Strategies

“…From movements like #BlackLivesMatter to #MeToo, social media has provided marginalized groups with a space to gain visibility (Shahin et al, 2021). However, critics argue that social media activism can also lead to what is often referred to as “slacktivism” (Morozov, 2009, p. 7), “clicktivism” (Halupka, 2018), or “pictivism” (Oeldorf-Hirsch & McGloin, 2017). Instead of generating meaningful participation, social media may result in superficial and unhelpful forms of engagement (Morozov, 2009).…”

Facebook LGBTQ Pictivism: The Effects of Women’s Rainbow Profile Filters on Sexual Prejudice and Online Belonging

“…In terms of online displays of support for LGBTQ issues, people use social media in various ways (e.g., hashtags, rainbow flag emojis) to mark themselves as LGBTQ or as allies. As a particularly prevalent behavior, changing one’s profile picture or adopting a profile filter—a low effort behavior called “pictivism” (Oeldorf-Hirsch & McGloin, 2017)—emerged as a popular way for internet users to express pro-LGBTQ political support and raise awareness (Chapman & Coffé, 2015). For example, approximately 3 million Facebook users changed their pictures to the Human Rights Campaign’s equality sign logo in light of marriage equality cases in 2013, and 26 million users adopted the rainbow flag filter to celebrate nationwide same-sex marriage rights in 2015 (Dewey, 2015; State & Adamic, 2015).…”