Being aware of your awareness

Earth Day 2023 is approaching – you might have noticed an uptick in messages and social posts about it.

I’ve written previously about how these one-off posts, well intentioned as they are, can come come across as lazy, tokenistic support for a popular cause.

Here’s an example I received today:

Let’s celebrate Earth Day together! Simply look through our free images, pick your favorite one, then upload it to your social media. Done and done!

Again, lovely thought, but I wouldn’t say you’re done and done 🙂

The challenge I threw down in the previous article was this:

1. Pick 1-3 awareness days (like Earth Day) per year to support, but like, really support
2. Spend the month or quarter prior, doing meaningful things that support that specific cause
3. Boast about your achievements in social posts etc in the lead-up to that day
4. Notice how shallow the token posts suddenly look next to yours 😉

Again, as I mentioned in the previous article, the point isn’t to just shame people about their shallowness… It’s to inspire them to make a more meaningful effort next time.

Supporting causes is a great thing, it’s why the awareness days exist. Mass posting helps these organisations get eyeballs on their cause – it’s a bandwagon that will likely welcome all the loud trumpets it can get on there.

Token posts add a trumpet to that bandwagon… But really, truly supporting the cause is like adding a whole extra bandwagon.