This week’s theme
Rodents

This week’s words
myology
mouse potato
rat race
mousy
clicktivism


This week’s comments
AWADmail 991

Next week’s theme
Words with many meanings

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(KLIK-ti-viz-uhm)

MEANING:

noun: The use of the Internet to signal support for a cause.

ETYMOLOGY:

A blend of click, as in a mouse click + activism. Earliest documented use: 2006.

NOTES:

Clicktivism can take many forms: signing an online petition, forwarding a message, sharing a posting, or changing the color or banner on one’s website or social media in support of a cause, and so on. Clicktivism is sometimes derided as slacktivism (slack + activism). It’s seen as putting in minimal effort and getting a sense of doing something and feeling good about it, instead of getting deeply involved with a cause. While the criticism can be justified, clicktivism is better than doing nothing and, at least, it raises awareness.

USAGE:

“[Purpose.com’s] critics worry, however, that its brand of web-based activism is often skin-deep clicktivism. It is easy to click on a petition and then do nothing else.”
Profit with Purpose; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 26, 2013.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: