Activism drives social change.
The concept of activism is formed with the adjective active and the affix -ism . The origin of the term can be linked to the German Aktivismus .
Active , in this framework, allows one to qualify as someone who acts or acts constantly , or who has the capacity to do so. In this way it tends to work quickly and efficiently. The suffix -ism , meanwhile, makes it possible to form nouns that can mean "movement" , "doctrine" , "system" or "tendency" , for example.
What is activism
The first meaning of activism mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the tendency exhibited by someone who acts in a very dynamic way . The most common use of the notion, however, is not that, although it derives from said meaning.
Activism is called the social or proselytizing activity carried out by an individual or a group of people . Activism takes shape in public life and aims to achieve some change in society .
There are several ideas that can be linked to activism, such as militancy or demonstration . The activist defends and promotes a cause and expresses it with the objective of gaining support and encouraging authorities or decision-makers to act in line with their ideals or motivations.
The role of the activist
An activist is considered someone who is part of a social movement, a political party, a non-governmental organization or a union , committing to their projects and actions and disseminating their ideas .
Activists can develop a formal or organic action, following the guidelines of an entity, or perform in a more informal or spontaneous way. Both facets can even complement each other depending on the moment and the context .
Activists carry out public work to achieve their objectives.
Political activism
Political activism is associated with militancy. The activist or militant, therefore, follows the guidelines of his party and aims to add members and/or voters.
Propaganda of party proclamations and carrying out proselytizing campaigns in the periods prior to elections are two of the most common activities of political activists. Many times the activist ends up becoming a candidate or a government official.
Work in civil associations
Social or civic activism is understood to be that which is developed through non-governmental organizations or civil associations. This activism can have different purposes or objectives, with activists intervening in different areas or aiming to achieve changes in various aspects of their community .
Unlike political activism, this work is not framed within a party structure. Nor is it specified from within a government. In any case, there may be points in common between what a deputy from an environmentalist party aims to achieve and what activists from an environmentalist NGO aspire to achieve, to mention one possibility.
Virtual activism
In recent decades, a type of activism has emerged that appeals to technology as its main resource: virtual activism or cyberactivism .
In this case, the potential of the Internet is exploited for the dissemination of ideas and to bring about changes, leaving protests or demonstrations in public spaces in the background.