6th annual social media and law conference — hashtag activism
TRANSCRIPT
exponential activism
6th Annual Social Media and Law ConferenceJune 7, 2016Boyd Neil | H+K Strategies
CHANGE
It’s real#BlackLivesMatter#ICantBreathe#EricGarner#MikeBrown#HandsUpDontShoot#Ferguson#OccupyWallStreet#IceBucketChallenge
We Are All Khaled Said15-M|Los Indignados (Became a viable political party (Podemos)
Change.orgAvvaz.orgWhitehouse.gov (We the People)
Works in politics . . .
USC Price School of Public Policy 2016
“More than 83% of Americans said following a candidate, political party or issue on social media has made them want to vote for a specific candidate.”
Evenbrite | Ipsos study February 2016
Works for whales . . .
Works for candies . . .
Works for boats . . .
Works for women . . .
Works for ketchup . . .
Taste + worker solidarity
Twitter solidarity
Loblaws listens
POWER
New, younger and not from traditional
socioeconomic category
Who is protesting
today?
Tiny acts of political participation
‘Political’ Power Today
Political Turbulence, Magretts, John, Hale and Yasseri, 2016
Can become collective action
‘Political’ Power Today
Political Turbulence, Magretts, John, Hale and Yasseri, 2016
SLACKTIVISM
Slacktivism is supposed to be about weak|feel good ties
But feel good ties can become action ties (network effects)
Slacktivism is a consequence of poor organization
MOBILIZATION
• “Information about what others intend to do, are doing, or have done.”
Social information
• Individuals actions more visible to others + more likely to influence participation
Social visibility
Variables driving exponential activism*
* Political Turbulence, Magretts, John, Hale and Yasseri, 2016
CORE IDEA #1
“By providing real time information about what other people are doing, social media affect the perceived viability of political mobilizations and hence the potential benefits of joining, thereby altering the incentives of individuals to participate”
Political Turbulence: How Social Media Shape Collective Action (2016)— Margetts, John, Hale, Yasseri
CORE IDEA #2
“Social media environments allow other people to know what we are doing by making us visible.”
Political Turbulence: How Social Media Shape Collective Action (2016)— Margetts, John, Hale, Yasseri
• Collective action needs SOME people with low thresholds for starting
Participation thresholds
• “In large cascades…the bulk of adoptions often take place within one connection of a few dominant individuals.”
Influencers
Variables driving exponential activism
CORE IDEA #3
“(P)eople have different thresholds for joining mobilizations in terms of the number of other participants they require before they themselves will join in.”
Political Turbulence: How Social Media Shape Collective Action (2016)— Margetts, John, Hale, Yasseri
• Even weak ties can “send social signals strong enough to influence political behaviour.”
Network effects
Variables driving exponential activism
CORE IDEA #4
“If the distribution of thresholds is what matters for a mobilization, then . . . What is needed is a number of starters, people with low thresholds for starting and joining a mobilization and who are good at dissemination . . ..”
Political Turbulence: How Social Media Shape Collective Action (2016)— Margetts, John, Hale, Yasseri
CORE IDEA #5
“Some personality types are more influenced by social information and visibility.”
Political Turbulence: How Social Media Shape Collective Action (2016)— Margetts, John, Hale, Yasseri
ORGANIZING
Effective organizing
1. Make action choices obvious and easy
2. Identify local network leaders (‘starters’) and empower them to self-organize
3. Create a (truthful) feeling of participation momentum
4. Give people online and offline connection and action opportunities
5. Create content that rocks
RESPONDING
Exponential activism
1. Take social web mobilization seriously
2. Watch for evidence of social turbulence about your product, company, executives, policies
3. Look for evidence of relative speed of mobilization• Momentum in early stages
is crucial to success4. Ask yourself if individuals can
make a difference if engaged
Exponential activism (cont.)
5. Is there a reasonable expectation a common goal can be achieved?
6. Analyze ‘starters’ to determine if mobilization thresholds can be reached• Are they serial complainers• Are they serial
‘campaigners’7. Determine if non-traditional
leaders are emerging early in the mobilization
Image sources
Ryan McGuire @ http://gratisography.com/
Boyd [email protected]