There’s a lot that is both wrong and right with the internet. It allows both bad and good things to come to the forefront.
People are able to build entire platforms and communities around causes; rallying troops at a moment’s notice.
And as we saw recently with one internet bully who destroyed a VFW Chapter simply because he could, the loudest or most “popular” voice in the room often isn’t the one doing anything real or meaningful.
While advocates are organizing town halls, writing legislation, comforting families, filing FOIAs, and showing up in courtrooms, a growing number of online personalities are racking up views by tearing those efforts down from the comfort of their Temu ring light.
It’s time we talk about the difference between those who fight for justice and those who just perform for the camera, the likes, and the “lolz”.
Advocates Build in the Dark, Not Just Perform in the Spotlight
Advocates aren’t perfect and their work is often quiet, grueling, and unglamorous. They’re:
- Helping formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives
- Supporting grieving families through civil rights lawsuits
- Pushing for transparency and accountability from powerful institutions
- Taking heat for standing up to injustice; not because it’s trending, but because it’s necessary
Most importantly, they center others not themselves.
Real advocacy amplifies the stories of people most impacted. It passes the mic; it doesn’t demand a spotlight. There is no room for main character syndrome in real advocacy.
Advocates are innovators trying new things.
The Rise of the Clout Chasers
…Then there’s the other crowd.
The self-appointed “truth-tellers” with GoPros and ring lights, who rake in ad dollars and outrage clicks by punching down. They mock incarcerated people, veterans, low-income families, disabled communities; anyone they think won’t (or can’t) fight back.
This flock do the same tired things over and over or mimic successful people for content; they aren’t creative enough to do anything new and continuously recycle content.
Their recipe is simple:
- Find something meant to uplift or humanize a marginalized group
- Take it out of context and warp it for clicks
- Add sarcasm and reaction faces
- Monetize the backlash
This isn’t journalism. It’s bullying in a content creator costume.
One Is Rooted in Accountability. The Other in Algorithms.
Advocates, on the other hand, are accountable to the people they serve, the communities they come from, the policy change they’re trying to achieve.
Internet personalities? They’re accountable to views. To brand deals. To controversy. You won’t see them going back to school to better themselves, volunteering at any organizations, or doing anything to put others first.
They won’t take time to learn people’s story, they’ll make things up or manufacture outrage. They can’t build or hold onto long-lasting partnerships because they are one-dimensional, using people and moving along. You won’t see them donate to projects or support others.
When public pressure mounts, an advocate asks: “How can we repair this?”
An internet personality asks: “How can I double down and go viral again?”
Simply put, they’re addicts looking for a fix.
Above All, They Seek Chaos and Harm
This isn’t just an online beef. It’s often a repeated pattern and the damage is real:
- Programs get shut down because a YouTuber makes fun of them.
- Veterans behind bars lose support because someone on TikTok said they weren’t “real soldiers.”
- Survivors are retraumatized because their stories were turned into meme content.
Advocates know that words carry weight. Internet personalities use them as weapons.
Support the People Doing the Work
At Clutch Justice, I’ve worked with advocates who’ve changed lives with nothing more than a Wi-Fi signal and relentless drive. I’m proud to work alongside those people.
I’ve also seen how a single angry voice online can undo years of healing and progress; it’s severe mental illness playing out in full technicolor.
Here’s the bottom line:
- Advocacy is action.
- Influence without responsibility is just ego and theater.
- We build. They perform.
And if/when they come for us, we’ll still be busy working rather than attending their circus, because as Lil Wayne once said, “real Gs move in silence like lasagna.”
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