If you’ve noticed a strange increase in guys with mustaches everywhere you go, it’s not a new fashion statement (although I have my fingers crossed for the day they’re back in style — no joke). It’s Movember, a global campaign that’s raising awareness and donations for cancers that affect men.

Earlier this month, many of my manly colleagues at Casanova joined forces (and varying levels of facial hair) to support this important cause. Take a look at the Casanova crew to see who’s participating:

But is this real activism or just another form of slacktivism masquerading as real social change? That’s the question posed by Malcolm Gladwell in his recent New Yorker piece “Twitter, Facebook and social activism: Why The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted.”

In this article, “Gladwell argues that online social networks aren’t suited for “real” social activism, so all the Utopian predictions about Twitter and Iran, or Facebook and Obama, will never come to pass. This is because, Gladwell says, online networks are all about weak ties — a weak tie is a friend of a friend, or a casual acquaintance — whereas real activism (he uses the example of the civil rights movement, led by Martin Luther King) depends on strong ties, or those people you know and trust:

There is strength in weak ties, as the sociologist Mark Granovetter has observed. Our acquaintances — not our friends — are our greatest source of new ideas and information. The Internet lets us exploit the power of these kinds of distant connections with marvelous efficiency. But weak ties seldom lead to high-risk activism.” SOURCE: Jonah Lehrer, “Weak Ties, Twitter and Revolution,” Wired Science

Maria Popova (@brainpicker) says “Malcolm Gladwell is #Wrong.” Her post is a thorough refutation of Gladwell’s stance, point by point, and argues that:

“We need a definition of what activism is, not what it is not, before we can argue for or against its existence. As far as I’m concerned, activism is any action or set of actions, be it organized, grassroots or self-initiated, that aims to resolve a problem that diminishes the quality of life of individuals, communities or society.”

The negative connotation associated with slacktivism implies that there is very little expenditure of energy/effort. Possibly. But to say that activism is any less effective because of the level involvement is looking at the situation from the wrong lens.

My father tends to think that a hard day’s work = manual labor. Using your hands, working outside, getting dirty, etc. This is old-school thinking. It’s focusing on the input instead of the output and at the end of the day, what’s truly meaningful is whether or not your actions are generating satisfactory results.

So how has Movember performed?

In 2009, the movement was able to raise $42 Million globally.  Although the majority of participants may not be hard-core activists, it’s still a significant figure. It may even have a side-benefit: inspiring first-time fundraisers to get involved in other social causes.