A recent study released by the Instagram account @soyouwanttotalkabout revealed that blindly republishing political content on social media and other forms of performative activism are more effective than educating yourself and actively trying to make a change. 

The study showed that a majority of the people surveyed felt that they were making so much of an impact by posting infographics on their Instagram stories, they did not have to do any research or even understand what they had just posted. 

The study also revealed that many people learned more from Instagram infographics than they did in school. Many students reported that they frequently skip class to scroll through Instagram activist pages such as @racismisbad, @girlboss, and @emojisforjustice. Peter Ryan ‘21 says, “Honestly, without Instagram infographics, I never would have learned that racism is, like, bad.” Through Instagram, Peter has learned that men and women should have equal rights. 

Some felt their Instagram stories made so much of an impact, they did not even have to vote. Rachel Luce ‘21 says, “Who did I vote for? Oh, I didn’t vote but I told everybody else to.” 

“There’s something empowering about hitting that button to upload something to your Instagram story, ya know? I feel like I’m really making a difference in the world,” says Zoe Siegel ‘24.

Most people who engaged with Instagram activism opted not to participate in the Black Lives Matter protests this summer. However, a few brave people like Mark Aaronson ‘21 decided to take their activism to the streets. “One time, when I walked by a cop, I whispered ACAB under my breath. What a rush,” says Mark.

When it came to the pandemic, many people decided to take their performance to the next level. An anonymous student says, “I think it’s super important to educate people about the coronavirus and to be COVID safe. That’s why I only invited 10 people to my birthday party in Cancun.” Because of heroes like this, the coronavirus numbers have reached an all-time high. 

It’s clear from the study that Instagram activism is in fact enough. 

Disclaimer: This is a satirical piece and is not factually accurate.