Let’s talk about cyber-activism. What is it, and how effective is it? Just as it sounds, cyber-activism is the viral online sharing of something for a cause. Some feel cyber-activism isn’t activism at all, but others would disagree. The reality is, cyber-activism can spread quickly, but have little impact because it’s not linked to any real-life mobilization. In an ideal world, the media messages we take time to create and share would drive behavioral change, but with cyber-activism, sometimes increased awareness is all we get.
A popular call for awareness was a status that Facebook users would post. One was a single color as their status update, the color of the bra they were wearing that day to be specific. For example: MARIE, BLACK. The purpose was so that men would logon and see all of their female friends with these bizarre statuses. If nothing else, this sparked some conversation and drove awareness! Why would thousands of Facebook users want to participate in such a status?
People participate, and memes became viral for two reasons:
- As social media users, we want others to associate us with a charity or good cause. It makes us look good!
- It’s quick and easy! Often the call is simply to “like” a status.
Another viral meme that has gained popularity during Breast Cancer Awareness Month involves females changing their Facebook status to where they like to put their purse without any further explanation. For example, “I like it on the bed”, “I like it on the floor behind the couch”, etc. This type of status update surely sexualized Breast Cancer Awareness, which many disagree with, however the humor of it helped it gained popularity. The Breast Cancer fanpage read:
“Whether you are a full-fledged Breast Cancer supporter or a shameless, sexually-charged horndog, this page is for you”
So here were have a couple Breast Cancer Awareness social media statuses that have gone viral, but have little to no impact. Awareness alone does not drive mobilization. When we think about politics around election time, we see people sharing the “I voted” stickers on social media. I think “I’ve been screened” stickers with the pink ribbon would be extremely impactful, then the same status trend could continue however with setting a womans profile picture to a selfie with a screening sticker, and even a specialized Breast Cancer Awareness border. This would work the same way as the other statuses, but rather than just driving awareness, it would drive the action of getting a breast exam.
Another small but simple addition to any viral meme or trend would be a call to action, button, or link. This could be a “Donate here” button, or a “visit komen.org to learn more about tips and tricks for self breast exams” link. To increase popularity, drive awareness, and even raise money for the cause, an EVENT (such as a 5k walk) can be marketed socially as well. The addition of these action-driven tactics would allow marketers to track impact.
The below meme is something that went viral on Facebook awhile ago. It’s cute, funny, and increases awareness about Breast Cancer Awareness month, but it also encourages people to “get those puppies checked”. Imagine if the comment with this was a traceable link to a resource or reference about scheduling a breast exam! When social media users follow a link or perform actionable items on a post, social media practitioners can also use that opportunity to learn more about their audience and what is working (or not working).
Here are a few more visuals that will make anyone want to increase Breast Cancer Awareness on social media!
Rural Thymes 
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