Clicktivism: A Systematic Heuristic

TLDR

Clicktivism is presented as a legitimate political act that has been marginalized by negative discourse, leading to its neglect in mainstream Political Science despite its reliance on simplified social connectivity. The article develops a heuristic that identifies seven dimensions of clicktivism to enable its analysis as a distinct form of civic engagement separate from broader digital activism. The heuristic comprises seven dimensions that characterize clicktivism and serve as the analytical framework. Applying the heuristic to social buttons and meme creation demonstrates its utility and flexibility.

Abstract

This article argues that clicktivism is a legitimate political act. It emphasizes that such acts, through a recurrent negative discourse, have been marginalized. As a result, new modes of participation that draw upon the simplification of social connectivity have largely been ignored in the mainstream Political Science literature. In addressing this issue, the article develops a heuristic that identifies seven dimensions (or characteristics) of clicktivism. This new heuristic will allow for the analysis of clicktivism as a form of civic engagement separate from digital activism more broadly. Subsequently, the article applies the heuristic to several popular forms of clicktivism, including social buttons and the creation of memes, demonstrating both its utility and flexibility.