Lessons Learned - Facebook, Bra Colors, and Activism

I've had some time to think about the Facebook Bra Meme that made its way around the web in January. Amanda's discussion on WEGO Health on the topic generated a number of comments and opinions about the subject. I've read numerous articles about the event - some consider it a joke gone wrong, others speculate a breast cancer foundation was behind it, and others felt it was no big deal.

I received more emails about this topic than I've received in quite some time. Even after taking some time to think about it, I'm still a little angry. I'm not alone. Here's some feedback on the meme:
My Bra: color me Furious
Bare your bra for breast cancer?

Do Bra Colors on FB Serve a Purpose?

Sexy Breast Cancer Ads: Provocative or Patronizing?

A few things I learned from the Facebook wardrobe malfunction:

- Awareness does not mean action
- It's possible to have too much awareness and not enough action
- There seems to be a growing backlash against the breast cancer movement

but, I have to say.... the number one thing I learned from the FB meme:

Awareness doesn't necessarily translate into Activism

Welcome to the new world of Slacktivism - the Lazy Man's Activism. I first read about "slacktivism" in The brave new world of Slacktivism. I think it accurately describes what occurred with the Face Book Meme. A status update takes only a few seconds and has the appearance of "awareness."

As Health Activists, we need to make sure that activism remains just that - ACTIVE.

Check out the great conversations on WEGO Heatlh - see Amy's challenge on "Put the Active in Activist" and Janeen's post "Let's Talk about Activism." These are great articles on how to keep a community active and engaged in a cause.

Have you heard about slacktivism? What are you doing in your health community to make sure activism keeps moving?  Join the conversation on WEGO Health today!