Hello, and welcome back to Eight Years In. Today, we’re talking about the online vegan movement and the pros and cons to it. Obviously, I’m convinced that the pros outweigh the cons since, well, look at me, I’m participating in it. But I think it would benefit us to take a more critical look at these things, so that we realize what we’re really doing. The more we look at this thing, the better we can try to diminish the downsides and take advantage of the help it brings. 

I love online veganism!

   Okay, so I think that statement is as sensational as I want to get in this post. It lacks nuance and I feel it is quite emotional, which isn’t what I’m going for in this conversation at all. But I’m going to keep it because I do, in fact, have a soft spot for this vegan online movement. 

   I mean, I never would have gone vegan were it not for the internet. I live in a place where veganism is not common and I have only met one person in real life who has volunteered to me that they’re vegan as of the time of writing this post. (And that person, by the way, also found veganism through the internet as well.) 

   So maybe I’m too gentle on the movement, due to how thankful I am. Maybe I’m not critical enough, simply because my bias is “well, it worked to convince me, so why not others?” Maybe I ought to be a little more harsh too. I wanted to take this time to put aside my own personal feelings about it and dig into what it is and what it does. The good and bad. However, I know that my personal bias will be showing through. So keep that in mind while you read, and let me know what you think of online veganism in the comments of this post, especially if you yourself are vegan or vegan curious.

Expand your reach

   So clearly, I want to talk about this expanded reach of information when you post online. Like I said, I don’t think any information about animal agriculture or animal rights would have reached me if I had not been online to find it. In my area, being vegan is not considered normal by any means and I’m used to being the odd one out. But it’s not just about that. 

   I know I can personally reach more people through talking about my veganism online than anywhere else. The truth is, in real life there aren’t that many instances of being able to talk to so many people and plant information seeds in their minds and hearts. In my daily life, I talk to maybe ten people. If I tried really hard and pushed past my introverted needs, I could probably talk to maybe 100 people on a semi regular basis. And if I consistently made events and talk spaces locally, I might be able able to reach more that way. But that’s small potatoes compared to the audience I can reach online. And that’s with minimal amounts of drainage to my social battery. 

   I find that I’m able to talk to people from all sorts of places online as peers. Even if we’re separated by large oceans. These are people I never would have been able to meet if we had no internet. If vegan activism is all about spreading information, you really can’t beat the internet on that front. And while it’s true, you can’t convince everyone, I think that just makes the spread of information even more crucial. (Say hi in the comments and tell me where you’re from, if you want to brighten my day. I get a kick out of seeing who finds my stuff.)

The internet makes people more angry

   Oh, look, another subtitle with little nuance. I guess it’s just that kind of post today, isn’t it? No, the fact is I just don’t know how to put this succinctly. I’ve seen videos of irl vegan protests before. So I know that people do, in fact, display their vegan anger in public too. But we find with social media in general, people are more likely to be insensitive and even aggressive with their words, and I find that in some cases, this can definitely bleed into vegan activism online as well. 

   I’m no stranger to the vegan anger (you can find a post about what to do with it here, if you’re interested). In fact, I think it’s 100% justified. We’re talking about a mass whole in our ethical conscience. An everyday injustice. It’s horrendous. And yet, at the same time, us vegans are tasked with the idea of convincing and enlightening those who are defensive and drowning in their cognitive dissonance. It’s at that point where you have to stop and think “Is my form of conversation and activism helping?” 

   I don’t like the stereotype of the angry vegan. It implies that vegans are simply angry people, crazed by some sort of radicalizing propaganda. Or that they’re simply all crazy and that’s why they’re drawn to veganism in the first place. The fact is, we’re not. We’re mostly reasonable people whose eyes were opened to blatant injustice and yeah, we’re not happy about it. We decided we didn’t want to participate anymore for that very reason. 

   But it’s easy to just type on your keys and press publish. Even in that short paragraph I found myself getting frustrated. Typing faster to get my point across. And I know that if I were a different person, I would think nothing of continuing to vent and pressing “send send send”. Because it’s true what I’m saying, these frustrations are justified and usually in life, when you simply state facts, people are able to follow your logic. But not about this. And that’s both what makes vegans so angry and why we have to think more about how we’re coming across. 

The echo chamber effect

   So, having been a viewer of vegan social media for a while, I’ve noticed something. It’s really, well, segregated, in a sense. Vegans follow more vegans. Which isn’t all that surprising. All of social media is pretty much like that. You follow people who are like you or are how you aspire to be and if you aspire to be vegan, you probably already are in most cases anyway. 

   So I understand the mechanic of it. But the thing about vegan activism is about the spread of information to other people who didn’t know about it before, right? And if we’re all only following each other and nobody who isn’t vegan is following us…then how’s that information getting spread? 

   I know that people are going to do what they’re going to do with their social media. But at the same time, if you claim to be using an online space for activism purposes, then it’s worth having a think about what you’re doing to make your space more broad, so that people who might not otherwise have heard about veganism can access it too. 

   I was considering making a separate account for this site on all my social medias. After all, people who are looking for my other projects aren’t necessarily interested in veganism (or any of the other things I address on this site, for that matter). But I decided against it for the reason I just explained. I wanted veganism to be accessible. And I didn’t want to be vegan in secret the way I often feel I have to be in order to get along in my day to day life.

I thought “hey, if I want this to be more normalized, then it’s time for me to put my eggs in that basket of normalizing it.” So now you can find everything, including my veganism, in one place. And I know that some of my followers aren’t interested in it. But that’s okay. In my opinion, it’s a good enough tradeoff for greater visibility. 

Vegan Support

   The other side of the coin to this “echo chamber effect” is that you can find community in vegan social media. If you live in a household that is nonvegan (or antivegan in some circumstances) or in an area where veganism is still considered quite fringe, then this community can be the difference between languishing in loneliness and thriving as a vegan. 

   Especially in the beginning of veganism, if you’re doing it on your own, you can feel quite directionless and outcast. You’re looking for recipes and solutions and understandings both of your own life and of the world around you and to be honest, nearly nobody has these answers except others who have done it before. 

   As you’ve been vegan for longer, you may start wanting to give back and help people along that same path. If you ask me, this is a wonderful thing. Anytime you can find community and support it’s great, And the fact is, I think the vegan movement online gives that to many people who wouldn’t otherwise have it.

   For example, here I talk a lot about the social aspects of being vegan. How to interact with others who aren’t and how to come to solutions to keep living your life. All the stuff that I wish I would’ve known back in the day. And I do it because I hope that it is able to find the people who need it most. There are many vegans out there who are giving the gifts they have to share too. Whether it’s advice or recipes or statistics. I think that these things are very special. 

The comparisons

   Man, okay. So, social media and the comparison game. This is not a new conversation at all, but I think we forget that it exists in the vegan sphere too. Whether we’re talking about “vegan police” or body comparisons or who has the healthiest diet, the social media sphere is ripe with self-destructive comparison. 

   I find it when I see threads of people announcing how long they’ve been vegan for. I really find myself feeling quite insecure when I see others saying such big numbers like “oh I’ve been vegan for 20 years” or whatever. Like, I’m still in the single digits of years. And I’ve learned a lot and it’s great and all, but I feel guilty in a sense, for not realizing how my actions were contributing to what we’re doing to the animals sooner. 

   And I know that all I can do is stay vegan. Keep learning, trying new things and continuing to do what I can to help others along this path. But in my subconscious, I feel insecure. Like I’m not good enough. I want you to know that if you’re struggling with this, you’re not alone. This comparison game though, it’s all in our heads.

The fact is, whether you’re Whole Foods plant based or junk food vegan, the animals would thank you just the same. No matter your body shape or size, being vegan is a good thing. And whether it’s been a week or decades, being vegan is still a great decision. You do not have to be like any of the other vegans you find online. In fact, the community is helped by you finding your own way to be fully you, as well as vegan. The more diverse examples of veganism we can find, the better others can see themselves in our example. And that, my dear, is a beautiful thing. 

Online veganism, in a nutshell

   Ultimately, I think that the online vegan scene is a net positive. But we could always stand to improve our presence. Our arguments, our activism. And I think that when we are able to, we should attempt to do so. 

   I personally do try to contribute to as little of the downsides as I am able to see, but I know that I too, could always do better. So what do you think about these online vegans? Have they helped you towards veganism in an honest and compassionate way? Let me know what you think we could improve about the community with a comment, to help us all inform our perspectives!