It’s not easy to be a politically active high-schooler. The combination of age restrictions and a general lack of autonomy leave many kids out of the loop, uninvolved. However, In early July of this year, hundreds of McClatchy students reacted on social media after news broke about widespread starvation in Sudan. Instability has plagued the country for years, but the situation recently escalated between police and protestors, leaving 37 dead and drawing overdue global attention to the crisis in Sudan.
Many Americans first heard of the situation in Sudan via social media. In fact, a recent PEW Research Poll concluded that 36% of young Americans use social media as their primary news source. News of the conditions in Sudan quickly trended on Twitter, with over 2 million users posting with the #Sudan in under a month. Millions of Instagram users took the opportunity to change their profile pictures to a plain, blue flag, a symbol of solidarity with those in Sudan.
In only a week, tens of thousands of Instagram accounts dedicated to providing aid to Sudan were established. Several of these accounts gained substantial support, such as “@sudanmealproject,” which reached over 400,000 followers in a single week. The account contained only one post, a plain blue background with white words: “For every person who follows and shares this on their story, we will donate a meal to starving Sudanese children.”
That statement may seem familiar – it was reposted by hundreds of McClatchy students, and appeared over a million separate times on Instagram alone. Not surprisingly, Instagram users jumped on the opportunity to do their part for the crisis in Yemen, reposting without second thought.
While this may seem benign, it is far from harmless. Like countless other accounts created in the wake of the crisis, Sudan Meal Project was fake. There is no evidence that any donations were made by the “organization,” let alone the millions they pledged to the users of Instagram.
While the account was shut down within three weeks of establishment, thousands more fake accounts continue to profit off of the crisis via publicity gained from similar posts. Estimates as to the number of fake Instagram accounts range from 70-100 million, producing billions of individual posts annually. While many of these are likely harmless, the popularity of the Sudan Meal Project illustrates the necessity of thinking critically about the content we share.
The Sudan Meal Project commodified a very real crisis for millions of people – it turned famine and violence into social tokens to be traded on the digital marketplace. Additionally, the account gave millions of reposters the illusion of helping out those in need while doing nothing to materially improve conditions in Sudan.
The last decade has seen a steady rise in the amount of political content on social media, as many users have operationalized personal accounts to spread information to followers. While this certainly has helped to mobilize some users, it is worth considering whether or not consciousness raising is enough in the digital age.
Furthermore, it is essential that we not allow, “information sharing,” “consciousness raising,” fake charities, and the litany of other content available act as a palliative for more substantive political demands. Reposting does not help those in Sudan, but it does act as a vehicle for users to feel like they have done their part – for only one post a day, you can end a famine! Real activism is hard and slow work, and an effective consciousness must be paired with honest and concrete demands which are missing from much social media activism.