From individual to individual and even platform to platform celebrity activism can look vastly different. Past movements include the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, social media blackouts and the promotion of fundraisers for natural disasters, such as the recent wildfires in California.

It is undeniable that celebrities have an unparalleled reach. One simple post is capable of starting a trend, skyrocketing a business’s sales, or even influencing an entire generation. Celebrities have enough visibility to obtain tangible results, which seemingly makes them the best option to spread major social and political ideas.

So, what must always be considered when viewing social media are the motivations and intentions of those posting on it.

Understanding the motivations behind online activism is imperative to determine its authenticity. Truly altruistic activism is rooted in care and commitment. Prominent celebrities like Emma Stone work tirelessly in their campaigns.

Emma Stone in particular has had a strong involvement in the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign for years now which is entirely separate from her acting career. Mark Ruffalo has also dedicated years of his life to lobbying and campaigning against fracking and spreading awareness about renewable energy solutions. While the individuals in these examples are some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, their activism has positively contributed to our society’s development.

However, there have been moments in recent times where many trends appear to be purely performative.

It is unfortunately not uncommon for media activism to become a trend. It can often be seen that certain influencers speak on a social issue during its peak visibility but later fail to engage with it outside of their social media platforms. Something that quickly comes to mind is the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which was heavily posted about by Hollywood but didn’t bring much real change for Black Americans.

This is not to say that posting about an issue is meaningless or that to say that awareness of it is insignificant. Likewise, this is also not to say that change did not occur and awareness was not spread as a result of #BlackLivesMatter. This is simply a clear example of a social justice movement that took root in social media and was easily exploitable.

It takes 30 seconds to make a post on Instagram or Twitter (X) and receive admiration from followers for a presentation of goodwill. I could very easily make a post saying I am going skydiving and donating $10 thousand to a charity of my choice, but I would never go skydiving and I unfortunately do not have $10 thousand. Performative activism has been made incredibly simpler with the increasing influence social media influencers and celebrities have on our society.

So, a new question must be addressed. Do the intentions behind a post matter if the message is spreading accurate and helpful information?

Any information is helpful if it is accurate and relevant. If the person you dislike most in the world warns you that you are about to be hit by a car and you can move out of the way in time, that information is still beneficial. It does not matter if they warned you so they could punch you in the face afterward, they still helped you to avoid being hit by the car.

This is a very surface-level argument. Though, it makes the point that intentions do not initially matter. If Bella Hadid posts a GoFundMe for the California wildfires relief and you donate $10 after seeing it, what difference does it make if she only posted it for her own image? As trivial as this argument may sound, it is important not to fully dismiss the argument.

Performative activism may not immediately negatively impact social movements, but what it can do is create a false sense of security around the movement. It would be very easy to assume that if supermodel Bella Hadid posts a GoFundMe to her Instagram story, she must have donated to it. Celebrity influence around social activism can heighten the bystander effect around it just as much as encourage the support of it.

Thus, it is crucial to any person’s digital literacy to be acutely aware of what exactly they are consuming and from who. Our beloved celebrities may have attention-seeking intentions behind their activism. Sensationalizing or misrepresenting topics in need of activism is entirely possible if someone is doing it for the wrong reasons. The best way to be a good and worthy advocate is to do your own research. Be aware of the who, what, when, where and why in that research and always try to think of who is paying an influencer before committing to or making assumptions about a movement.