Superficial solidarity prioritizes performative optics, while substantive solidarity pursues transformative impact.
What is superficial solidarity?
Superficial solidarity is a mile wide and an inch deep. This type of solidarity is highly visible but ultimately vapid. People (and organizations) practicing superficial solidarity skim across the surface of an issue, declare their outrage about a problem, and may promise to provide support – but will then do nothing other than abandon the topic and move on to the next trending tragedy. Claiming to have done their part by raising awareness, people who practice superficial solidarity jump on the bandwagon of “the issue of the week” (or hour), without a sustained commitment to addressing the issue.
Reducing social justice issues and the people impacted by them to a slogan, tagline, logo, icon, or emoji, superficial solidarity actions neglect the context, background, and details of social injustice. While these actions may draw attention to a problem, they rarely include concrete reasons the problem exists or specific ways to address it. Superficial solidarity leaves out the underlying causes of injustice.
What is substantive solidarity?
Substantive solidarity, in contrast, is when people move beyond virtue-signaling by actually doing the work. Going from “talking the talk” to “walking the walk,” substantive solidarity involves fewer kind words and more concrete actions.
Solidarity defined as “a commitment to social justice that translates into action”1 includes a standard of action beyond platitudes and promises.
Substantive solidarity is collective in two senses: first, solidarity is a commitment to social justice, rather than a commitment to an individual. Second, people practice substantive solidarity together, rather than in solitude.
Solidarity is often conflated with large-scale collective actions like protests, strikes, sit-ins, and petitions. While these are solidarity actions, substantive solidarity is not limited to scheduled events with a group. Instead, substantive solidarity practices are integrated into everyday routines.
Substantive solidarity may arise across a group, a profession, a network, or a community of any size, and only requires that people (plural) work together to advance a shared aim, principle, or vision for change in the direction of social justice.
How do superficial solidarity and substantive solidarity come up in journalism?
In journalism, superficial solidarity takes the form of editorial statements that express thoughts and prayers for the latest tragedy, or pledges to improve newsroom culture without follow-through. It may also include making exceptions to policies of impartiality to declare support for popular causes.
Substantive solidarity in journalism takes the form of reporting that prioritizes people directly impacted by social justice issues. Standing up for people’s basic dignity means moving beyond expressing sympathy and toward practicing journalism that represents the truth of what people are going through, and how they are fighting for better.
For examples of solidarity reporting, check out: https://mediaengagement.org/examples-of-solidarity-reporting/
This resource is based on a peer-reviewed research article and a scholarly book chapter. If you would like PDFs of these academic publications, please email anita.varma@austin.utexas.edu.
- Varma, A., & Shaban, S. (2024). Conceptualizing feminist solidarity through resistance in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. Communication, Culture & Critique, 17(2), 120-126.
- Varma, A. (2021). Solidarity in (Social Media) Journalism: A Framework for Assessing Journalistic #Commitments, 499–512. Cham: Handbook of Global Media Ethics. Springer.
- Varma, 2020, p. 1706[↩]