Is Social Media Advocacy ‘Just Performative’? 5 Creators Respond

In 2026, Students Demand Action launched a Creator Program designed to build student leaders into powerful digital messengers who can help build the gun violence prevention movement.

We asked our first cohort of Creators about what they’d say to someone calling social media activism “performative,” and how they are using their platforms to help keep their communities informed and engaged. (And make sure you read to the end for 5 tips anyone can use for effective social media advocacy!)

Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How has social media changed the way movements mobilize people?

Cora

NC

Social media can reach a volume of audiences that has never been possible at this scale before in history. With the power to reach an unprecedented number of people, social media provides activists with an outlet to get messages across and truly mobilize the masses.

Ivan

IL & GA

Social media has made it easier to raise awareness to more people, more quickly, and to spread information on these movements. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X allow movements to reach people in my generation (Gen Z), share resources, and mobilize people for events, protests, and advocacy in real time.

Brayden

MI

Social media allows us to communicate with and motivate younger audiences at an almost immediate time rate.

Charles

MO & IL

Social media has changed the way movements and organizations communicate with and engage audiences by making it so much easier to mobilize people across the entire country. It allows people to find causes and organizations they care about and get involved, which pushes the overall movement forward.

Bo

NM

Social media has opened a variety of ways and means for social movements to organize and communicate our passions and needs for change. Social media has increased widespread awareness of certain topics, and it has particularly been helpful in educating, empowering, and engaging with youth across the globe. Many young people often find themselves scrolling through social media, so why not meet them where they’re at to create change?

How have you used your social media platforms to grow the gun violence prevention movement?

Cora: I have used social media platforms to show the more positive sides of a movement that can often feel heavy. I like to highlight the small wins of grassroots organizing, like having a wonderful community of advocates who lift each other up and support one another through thick and thin.

Ivan: I’ve used my platform to make gun violence prevention feel more personal, especially for young people. I share information about gun safety, policy, and ways people can get involved in a way that’s relatable. I want my content to remind people that our voices matter and that we can actually make a difference in our communities.

Brayden: I create videos that are engaging for young people. My videos inform people about gun laws and paths to advocacy to motivate them to act!

Charles: I’ve used my social media platforms to keep my community informed on what’s happening and show people how they can get involved. My goal has been to get more people interested in joining the movement while growing a following along the way.

Bo: I keep empathy at the heart of what I’m doing. People engage with content that makes them feel something, and so I’ve kept that in mind in order to engage with folks in our movement.

Is social media performative? Or can it really make a difference?

Cora: While I agree that some activism on social media may feel performative or inconsequential, it would never be fair to say that is true of all social media activism. If we have the power to advance social movements with social media as a medium, why not use it to our advantage?

Ivan: I think it really comes down to your intentions. Are you doing it just for clicks and likes, or are you using your platform to educate, inspire, and make a change? To me, if you can reach one person and encourage them to take action, then your activism has meaning.

Brayden: It’s only performative if you don’t hold yourself to the standards you preach!

Charles: People who say this usually aren’t using their resources to the fullest. Students Demand Action is a youth movement, and we are primarily where the largest amount of activity on social media happens. That’s exactly why it’s so important to utilize these platforms; they let us reach people we’d never be able to meet otherwise.

Bo: At this point, any time anyone speaks out, people call it “performative.” So what? We’re speaking up about monumental and life-altering issues. This is real-life stuff that has drastically impacted people’s lives, so I will continue to use social media to meet people where they are. If we can use platforms for awareness and change, I say use it.

What advice do you have for students who want to start using social media to advocate for causes they care about?

Cora

NC

Don’t fear what can go wrong. Focus on the positive possibilities that come with social media advocacy. Think about all of the new audiences you can reach, people you can inspire, and untapped potential you can activate.

Ivan

IL & GA

Just start! Use what you’re good at already and build a platform off of that. You don’t have to be an expert or have a huge following to make an impact. Be authentic, do some honest research, and use your platform to share what you care about in a way that people can actually connect with. Create something that you would actually watch. Your voice matters, so don’t be afraid to use it.

Brayden

MI

The only one holding you back is yourself! Start posting, and see where it takes you.

Charles

MO & IL

My advice is simple: Keep going. It won’t feel easy right away, but once you start gaining traction, it gets a lot easier. Just remember that growth isn’t always a straight line forward. It takes time, and that’s okay.

Bo

NM

Just go for it! There are so many different ways to engage with folks over social media. Trying it out will be the best way to start, so just do it!

5 Tips to Create Effective Social Media Advocacy Videos (Plus Examples!)

1. Let your personality shine through, like when Cora hopped on in this light-hearted trend to show students in action at a North Carolina Advocacy Day. 
2. Build connections by lifting other voices when possible. Ivan’s tiny mic interview during a protest at Morehouse College is a great example!
3. Give people a look behind the scenes to help remove anxiety stemming from “I’m not sure what’s going to happen.” In this video, Brayden showed exactly what happens when students interact with lawmakers!
4. Spotlight the fun moments too! It’s important to take advocacy seriously, especially when discussing life-or-death topics like gun violence prevention. But a little levity can go a long way, especially when videos like the one Charles made at a Missouri Advocacy Day show the connection your group has to the cause and to each other!
5. Show why this work matters. Bo’s video honoring the people killed in the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting is particularly powerful because of how it shows how the Orlando and LGBTQ+ communities were affected by, and responded to, the devastating mass shooting. Rip’s video about attending a Maryland bill signing shows how our communities benefit from our advocacy.

And in the spirit of passing the mic, we’ll give the last word to Ivan: