We live in a time where being “woke”, like socially aware and conscious, has literally become cool.
People proudly post about feminism, mental health, or world peace on their Instagram stories. They share quotes, hashtags, and angry opinions online. But once the screen goes off, nothing really changes.
Welcome to the era of fake wokeness, where being aware is no longer about understanding; it’s about performing awareness
What Does ‘Woke’ Even Mean?
The word “woke” originally came from African-American culture and meant being alert to injustice, racism, and inequality. It was a word of awareness, of a real awakening.
But now, the word has been turned into an online trend. People use it to look intelligent, modern, or morally superior. Being woke used to mean you cared; now it just means you tweet.
The Rise of Performative Activism
Social media gave everyone a voice. But it also gave rise to performative activism. That means pretending to care about a cause just to gain some attention, followers, or likes.
People post “Save the planet,” but they won’t recycle. They upload “Support mental health” but make fun of others offline. They type “All genders are equal,” but judge someone for dressing differently.
This is not activism, it’s acting. When social issues become fashion statements, real struggles lose it's true meaning.
The Problem with Trendy Awareness
The main problem with fake wokeness is that it creates noise, not a change. Everyone wants to talk, but no one wants to do the work.
For example, Many people will repost feminist slogans, but still laugh at sexist jokes. They’ll support animal rights, but going to buy products tested on animals.
They’ll scream “mental health matters,” but will ignore their friends when they actually need help.
This hypocrisy makes real activists' efforts weaker. Social causes start looking like social trends.
The ‘Cancel’ Culture — A New Form of Judgment
Fake wokeness has also created what we now call cancel culture. If someone makes a mistake, instead of educating them, people rush to shame and “cancel” them online.
It’s not about spreading awareness anymore. It’s about proving who is more “righteous.” We have become more interested in calling people out than calling people in.
True awareness is not about humiliation. It’s about transformation.
Why Do People Do It?
There’s a reason fake wokeness is everywhere. Nd it's that it gives people instant validation. Posting about good causes makes you look kind, smart, and moral. It’s easier than actually doing something in real life.
In the age of social media, image often matters more than one's intention. It’s easy to say “I support women,” but it’s much harder to respect them at home, school, or work.
Real awareness doesn’t need an audience. It just needs honesty.
What True Awareness Looks Like
Being truly woke doesn’t mean shouting on the internet. It means quietly changing your own habits, thoughts, and surroundings. It means listening before judging. It means supporting real causes, even when no one is watching. It means accepting that everyone is still learning, including yourself. It means showing compassion, not competition, in your activism.
True awareness is humble. It doesn’t scream, it teaches.
The Generation That Can Still Change Things
Our generation has power. The power of voice, reach, and ideas. But we must use it with the truth, not trendiness. It’s time to stop treating kindness like a brand and awareness like a fashion. Because pretending to be good is easier than actually being good. And that is what actually changes the world.
Let’s make awareness real again and not just aesthetic.
Being woke should never be about showing off. It should be about showing up. It’s not about hashtags or trends, but it’s about honesty and empathy. If your kindness disappears when the camera turns off, it’s not kindness, but it’s actually just marketing. If your feminism ends where convenience begins, it’s not feminism, it’s just fashion.
True awareness doesn’t need followers, filters, or applause. It only needs sincerity. You don’t have to prove that you care; you just have to actually care.
The world doesn’t change through loud voices and online noise; it changes through small, silent acts of goodness that no one sees but everyone feels.
Real change starts when we stop competing to look good and start trying to do good. It’s when we choose kindness over clout, compassion over comparison, and the truth over any sort of trend.
Because awareness isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being real.
So, let’s stop acting woke and actually start being awake, awake to injustice, awake to kindness, awake to ourselves. Because someday, when the hashtags fade and the trends die, only genuine hearts and honest efforts will still matter.
And that’s what true awareness really is. It's not a show, but a way of living.
References:
- https://books.google.co.in
- https://communitycentricfundraising.org
- https://www-psychologytoday-com.cdn.ampproject.org