By Mike Niezgodzki ’18
THE ROUNDUP
How can we determine when enough is enough?
When is too much promotion a bad thing? These are all questions we need to consider we discussing efficacy and advocacy.
According to Merriam-Webster, advocacy is the process of supporting a cause or proposal the act or process of advocating something. On the other hand, efficacy is the process to create power and effect.
These two terms can be commonly confused or in other cases, never been heard by young teenagers. I personally will admit to hearing the word efficacy only once in my 18 years, I always thought these two words were the same.
In today’s world, these words have been swirling around the news and other types of media due to the number of riots on many issues around the world.
The terms advocacy and efficacy can be confused as the same thing. Yes, both make efforts for change but in different ways.
To advocate is to draw attention to a certain issue or topic. For example, the Parkland shooting. After this horrific event, many schools have held walkouts and riots to protest gun control. For the most part, this has been a nation wide movement and the news has taken serious attention on covering it.
This is the process of advocacy because these riots have started from a group of Parkland students and made its way on the news and drew in the attention of others who support them. This movement has gained power and is challenging gun laws that President Trump can change. By peacefully protesting and using the privileges of the First Amendment, this discussion on gun laws is an efficient way of using advocacy.
Saying that, advocacy is not always positive or effective. One can say using advocacy in a negative aspect is very common as well.
Look at white nationalism for example. This is also a movement that has gained the attention of people but it is not necessarily positive compared to making schools and society safer. Much like publicity, there’s a good and bad side to both.
Now on to efficacy. This is solely based on creating power and publicity.
Efficacy is getting an issue or movement known. The sense of power is a key component in efficacy. That power can lead to destruction and very negative events along the way.
In addition, efficacy can also cause a positive uproar that can lead to an advocacy type of movement. Either way, both these terms can create good and bad publicity.
In closing, I hope your understanding for both these terms have impacted the way you’ll see the world unfold with all the events and chaos that goes on now a day. Understanding the difference of advocacy and efficacy will pay off in general knowledge for not only the real world but also riots and movements across the world.
In addition, it would be very beneficial if someone would like to start awareness for a topic of concern as well.
It is important to gain and attract as much positive publicity while creating efficient advocacy and efficacy, it will only help the cause.
