Social media has been shown to be a great area to promote digital mobilization campaigns. In layman terms, using social media to raise awareness and possible donations in the way of money, specific products or services, or even just signatures on a petition. Humans want to do the right thing, and if the call is to simply ask you to push a button to “like” a status, we don’t mind obliging. But are these acts directly associated with mobilization, or just acts of cyberactivism?
The month of October is celebrated for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Individuals show their support by wearing pink, sporting the pink ribbon, creating fundraisers of all sorts to support the many breast cancer foundations, and doing their part to spread awareness. In 2010, a Facebook campaign sprouted an uncommon awareness tactic that allowed women to become involved in the spread of awareness.
A private message would be sent to female users, asking them to put a single color as their status update; the color of the bra that they were currently wearing. The status would simply read “Emma, Black.” Other forms of this meme spread as time went on during Breast Cancer Awareness months. Another private message to all female users asked them to change their Facebook status to the location they like to put their purse; reading “I like it on the floor,” sexualizing the meme to another level, creating an increase in shares. These creative fun ways designed to raise awareness for breast cancer.
So, was this meme actually successful in creating breast cancer awareness? In some ways yes, in others no. The goal of getting users to participate in a fun activity was met. Those who participated in this personalized message that would create wonder from their male gender Facebook friends, felt a sense of philanthropy through their actions to share the message. Awareness is great, but how much of that awareness transferred into mobilized real life activism to help cure breast cancer?
The biggest concern with social media campaigns such as these, are the lack of linking them to real life action. Awareness can only go so far, but when it comes to creating useful outcome for a serious cause such as breast cancer, little is benefited from these Facebook campaigns. More educational information should have been included to not only create awareness, but educate individuals on Breast Cancer enough to create action towards a cure.
“While social media has undoubtedly reinvented activism, it has also made it easier for audiences to hide behind a screen…. Social media makes it easy for users to diffuse messages, but harder for these messages to have a lasting impact on human behavior change.”
The Susan G. Komen Foundation saw a spike in interest and donations following these memes, but it was unclear if these were associated with the meme itself, or the fact that the time line landed on the opening days of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Overall, the issue that was arose in these campaigns was the lack of education to back up the awareness and participation. Although the thought behind it was harmless, these memes over-sexualized and promoted a joking vibe around breast cancer, when it was supposed to be creating more awareness and educating individuals about a disease that takes the lives of thousands of women AND MEN, every year. The overlying vibe is extremely disrespectful for those who have fought themselves, or for a family member, affected by this terrible disease. It’s one thing to say you support a cause, but another to act and show that you support. Cyberactivism needs to make changes to create real life action towards finding a cure and saving lives.
Social Media or Bust! 
Hi Emma! I really enjoyed reading your post about Breast Cancer Facebook Meme’s. I like how you referenced that
since humans want to do the right thing, and if the call is to simply ask you to push a button to “like” a status, we don’t mind obliging. I think this was a great way to start off your blog and really engaged me to keep reading further, since I can relate to that. You did a great job explaining both Facebook memes about Breast Cancer. The first meme that were a private message for a woman to post her name and the color of the bra she was wearing and the second Facebook meme referencing the location they like to leave their purse, both did not actually lead to real-life action.
I think a better way these memes could have related more towards action could have been to have these women share a link to the Susan G. Komen foundation to donate money to Breast Cancer Education and Awareness or even share a local 5K run/walk that other people can attend in their community nearby. Both of these were definitely a fun way for people to spread the awareness of the cause, but unfortunately did not succeed in actually making an action for the cause. I completely agree with your last sentence in your summary that talked about cyberactivism. I think cyberactivism also needs to make changes to create real life action towards finding a cure and saving lives rather than creating Facebook memes to spread awareness. Thanks for sharing!
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