What is an Activist? Some would argue that an Activist, in many regards is not really an "informed" person and thus not fully conscious of what they are doing. This is part of the reason why most non-activists are often not very impressed with the tactics of those who call themselves Social Activists - they believe that Activists are just plain old people, doing what they do for no reason...

And yet we see Social Media, Internet Marketing, Blogs, Activism and other similar terms being bandied around, with seemingly little to no meaning behind them. If this is the case then why are we still calling these things "activism"? I believe it is because Activists go beyond just being another voice or a mere blogger who has a website. Activists are people, and we must realize that there is much more to Activism than just getting our facts in line and posting our opinions. In fact, I'd say most Activists are at least experts on some issues, and their theories and thoughts are oftentimes very well researched and deep. So what is an Activist if we don't know what an Activist actually is?

An Activist is someone who believes deeply about certain issues and chooses to use creative and strategic means to make their point. An Activist does not allow "tyranny of information" to inhibit their ability to be creative and push the envelope to create change. In fact, many times Activists work very hard to get others to look at their theories and take them seriously. In many ways we must ask "What is an Activist and is all this really about justice?"

Many non-activists often ask, "What is an Activist?" agency seems that we have come a long way from the days of Teju Adisa-Farrar who was arrested for peacefully participating in a sit-in in the streets to show her support for the indigenous people in Peru. Now we have environmentalists, celebrities, politicians, and college students all ask what is an Activist. Some may choose to label themselves as an Actor, Author, Publisher, Human Rights Defender, Social Activist, Publisher, Peace Prize Nominee, Journalist, or just plain concerned citizens.

Activism used to be about tee jupsi-trucks, land snatches, and peaceful civil disobedience. But today the focus is often on those who use the microphone and camera to speak out about environmental, racial, economic, and religious issues. Some call themselves Social Activists, while others claim a special status as a pseudo- Activist because they think they are a privileged white person (usually male, with a PhD) who is too enlightened to realize what is happening to them! But in truth, almost all people involved in activism are usually involved in some type of Privilege.

For example, those who claim to be politically motivated are often involved in progressive activism which is in essence agitating the powers that be to do something about the social injustices. And this can include getting into physical confrontations with big business or unruly University administrators. And there are many who feel strongly enough about an issue to stand up and go beyond mere social media blogging. They may go beyond blogging to going onto a forum, writing articles, participating in protests, or even showing up in court as a witness to testify about what is happening.

Activism can also take the form of what is known as shareholder activism. This is when folks get onto a company's board of directors and start voting against the interests of the owners or the shareholders. This is sometimes referred to as shareholder rebellion. Activists can take advantage of lawsuits against publicly held corporations that are doing wrong. There have been cases of shareholder activists taking companies to court over what is known as "dissent shareholder" voting.

Teju Adisa-Farrar states, "While there is no clear cut definition for what is an activist investor, there is a clear and important line between what is anti-social and what is simply shareholder oriented." He goes on to say, "activist investing is a much more narrow term that is used to characterize any individual or organization that attempts to exert some influence over a corporation through means not recognized by traditional shareholder standards." This definition sounds fairly broad and is up in the air. In fact, one attorney I know calls it a "lack of respect for the traditional ways of how shareholders interact with each other." agency would tend to agree with him.