http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Compassionate-Temperament/Natan-Sznaider/e/9780847695560

I’d answer this question with a resounding yes. I just came across a fascinating series of TED talks related to the Charter of Compassion initiative launched by Karen Armstrong.

Several of the scholars and religious leaders in the talks point out that there is a need to rescue a basic rule that underlies many of the millenary spiritual traditions of the world, but that seems to be lost in contemporary religious authority: compassion is something you learn only through action, through acting in a compassionate way.

The psychological logic of compassion seems also to go in the opposite direction to the one you point out in the title of your post: from action to compassion :)

So I think that digital or any other kind of activism can have a profound transformative effect on people for the better. And the more people is changed for the better, the more likely it is that it will lead to effective action at some point.

I blogged on these issues and many others addressed during the talks in a recent blog post: http://alanfurth.com/on-becoming-more-compassionate-practical-guidelines

With regards to the idea that certain forms of “slacktivism” are valuable because they construct a social connection and make you feel like you are part of something–we can dissect a little what makes certain forms of slacktivism better than others for this. For example: signing a petition, joining a Facebook group, or even buying a (Red) product seem to be not so good, whereas Twitter hashtags and mailing lists might be slightly better.

- Continuous participation (mailing list) is better than one-time opt-in (joining Facebook group)
- Creating a personal social connection to people within a movement (friending prominent activists in a movement on Twitter) is better than creating a connection between the slacktivist and the brand of the movement itself (Project RED)–this is kind of derived from the first rule, since having a social connection to someone who really cares ensures future news about the topic.
- An activity where people must engage creatively (finding facts and tweeting them or even responding to a tweet) is better than one where people can participate passively.

Those are just some of my off-the-cuff thoughts: I’d be interested to see a more in-depth analysis of what it is that makes certain slacktivist movements more engaging and capable of producing eventual action than others!

King Leopold’s Congo Free State of a hundred years ago was an arguable similar kleptocracy. Its end came about in part because the European and American press climbed on what turned out to be a profitable band wagon of shocking stories about an absurdist regime.

Despite prior knowledge, the scandal effectively began because of a British consular official’s report, so the question remains, what starts the bandwagon rolling?