UNICEF to slacktivists: Facebook likes won’t save lives

In an effort to try and get well-meaning Facebook users to help their cause, UNICEF has launched a campaign with a very clear message: Facebook ‘likes’ won’t help, money will.

Last month, UNICEF Sweden began airing a series of commercials that target this issue of “slacktivisms,” the act of doing something so minimal you feel like you’re doing something for a good cause, when really, you’re contributing very little. While there is something to be said for awareness of an issue, doing nothing else, i.e. not contributing any time or money to a cause, won’t actually help carry out the work of the organization.

That’s exactly what this commercial by UNICEF Sweden hits on:

The Verge says the other two commercials, also both in Swedish, take a more lighthearted approach with the same message: you can’t pay for anything else in likes, and charitable donations are no different.

“We like likes, and social media could be a good first step to get involved, but it cannot stop there,” UNICEF Sweden Director of Communications Petra Hallebrant told The Atlantic. “Likes don’t save children’s lives. We need money to buy vaccines for instance.”

The ad and above poster aren’t the first time that the actions of well-meaning people on Facebook have been questioned for their efficacy. It seemed like everyone shared the video and related material of the Kony 2012 film campaign, which sought to help protect Ugandan children from the LRA and Joseph Kony. While the campaign was largely criticized and accused of promoting slacktivism, Invisible Children, the group that created the campaign, says that the Rewards for Justice bill signed by Obama this past January was due to the outspoken activism of those who were motivated by the Kony 2012 short film.

For more information on how you can help UNICEF in Canada, visit unicef.ca.

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