In recent years, there has been a large rise in extremist online vegan activism. To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing to be vegan; however, the rhetoric and actions of these particular extremist groups is alarming, “there are many different ways that people can express their support for animals” (Thomas, 2019) however, online platforms have given these groups the ability to mobilise and execute these attacks on small businesses. These groups also are able to build and sustain online communities with those who share similar beliefs, which can fuel the continuation of these actions. Social media platforms such as Facebook allow users to share their alternative and marginal views, but this can make their following appear more powerful as “animal activists have increasingly adopted… direct action protest tactics” (Williams, 2021), whereas in the past they were strictly limited to traditional media outlets, which would not give them enough exposure. These platforms have very few barriers to entry, users only have to adhere to the community guidelines or terms of service on the apps, and otherwise are free to publish and further distribute their content.
I think that these groups are detrimental to the vegan movement as they tend to alienate anyone who is less extreme than themselves, and generally gives “vegans” a bad reputation, which is why it is so commonly used as an insult. The rise of online activism has resulted in not online anonymous verbal attacks, but also has created an environment where people take extreme actions in public to record it and post online.
One example is the Gippy Goat Cafe incident. The Gippy Goat cafe located in Gippsland, Victoria. They have a farm, and at the front there is a petting zoo section and a cafe for visitors. The attack started with constant online abuse, spamming their Facebook page and Google reviews, and then escalated to the farm being stormed and animals being stolen from the property. The owner has since been forced to close his business due to what he calls “abusive vegan activists” (Ansell, 2019).
In this diagram by Thomas (2019), it shows a breakdown of different stances people take when it comes to animal welfare. At the top of the pyramid there are what he describes as “terrorists”, “radicals”, and “activists”. These are the extremists I am referring to.
Another example is a vegan protester who goes by the name “vgan booty” online is known for her public stunts, such as storming a KFC, throwing paint on the floor and herself and using a megaphone to chant her beliefs. This in particular is a very intrusive example of ‘culture jamming’. Culture jamming to an extent has always existed, but social media has given it a new life. It can be defined as “ a form of resistance to the hegemony of popular culture” (Dery, 1990), but in a way that is extremely disruptive and abrupt.
Overall, social media platforms have become very enabling for extremist vegan protesters to share their radical actions and views. There is an increasing number of individuals taking part in these digital protests and examples of culture jamming are prevalent, as they tend to be the most shocking and attention grabbing.
Ansell, B 2019, ‘Owners say closure of popular Gippy Goat Cafe due to ‘abusive vegan activists’, Nine News, 8 April 2019, viewed 7 May 2022, <https://www.9news.com.au/national/news-victoria-closure-of-popular-gippy-goat-cafe-due-to-abusive-vegan-activists/d7229147-2e8c-43cd-a21a-451e0d9f3e63>.
Dery, M 1990 Culture Jamming: activism and the art of cultural resistance, New York University Press, New York.
Thomas, E, Bury, S & Louis, W 2019, ‘Vegetarian, vegan, activist, radical: Using latent profile analysis to examine different forms of support for animal welfare’, Group processes & intergroup relations, vol. 22, no. 6, pp.836-857.
Williams, D, Archer, C & O’Mahony, L 2021, ‘Calm the farm or incite a riot? Animal activists and the news media: A public relations case study in agenda-setting’, Journal of Indexing & Metrics, vol.1, no.1.
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