Post on 18-May-2015
April 12, 2023April 12, 2023
Or . . . Why you need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows
Boyd Neil
From Slacktivism to Activism
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Founders of Invisible Children
Why I’m Doing This
The streets weren’t that different then
Slacktivism is not the problem
Morozov/Gladwell think
“Although it is not possible to determine a consistent impact of Internet
campaigns on real–life decisions, there is no evidence of the substitution thesis. If anything, the Internet has a positive
impact on off–line mobilization. Accordingly, there is little evidence to
support the accusation of Internet campaigns being slacktivism.”
Feel good ties can become action ties
Reading a blog entry
Write a comment
Join a forum
Become a local volunteer
Collect signatures on street
Internship with advocacy group
Job with advocacy group
ONE ACTIVIST’S PATH
Slacktivism is a consequence of weak
organizers
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• "To the organizer, imagination... is the dynamism that starts and sustains him in his whole life of action as an organizer. It ignites and feeds the force that drives him to organize for change.... The organizers searching with a free and open mind void of certainty, hating dogma, finds laughter not just a way to maintain his sanity but also a key to understanding life.”– Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals
(p. 74-75)
The organizer
http://gapingvoid.com/ Hugh MacLeod
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Social participation continuum
Connection Engagement Influence Action
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What social web activism can do
Educate OrganizeCreate
Courage to Act
Act
Organizing Principles
1. Contain anger | find ideological balance
2. Make action choices straightforward, obvious and easy
3. Connect everywhere
4. Use social tools to organize groups (We used to call them ‘cells’)
5. Give people offline connection and action opportunities
6. Identify local network leaders . . . And empower to self-organize
7. Personalize the relationship
8. Facilitate peer-to-peer opportunities
9. Provide incentives for offline action
10. Create content that rocks
Organizing principles
Organizing Principles
1. Contain anger | find ideological balance
Organizing principles
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Two reasons this doesn’t work:
1. Moves away from core organizing message
2. Substitutes anger for argument
Organizing Principles
2. Make action choices straightforward, obvious and easy
Organizing principles
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Four reasons this works
1. Offers calls to action + petitions2. Educates on what it means to
engage3. Urges you to imagine
something different4. Makes it easy
Organizing Principles
3. Connect everywhere
Organizing principles
Three reasons this works:1. Displays and repeats evidence
of multiple platforms2. Uses visual platforms3. Has multiple points of access
for connection
Organizing Principles
4. Use social tools to organize groups (We used to call them ‘cells’)
Organizing principles
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Organizing Principles
5. Give people offline connection and action opportunities
Organizing principles
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‘App’ It
Organizing Principles
6. Identify local network leaders . . . And empower to self-organize
Organizing principles
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Three reasons this doesn’t work:
1. No place to identify yourself as willing to lead an action
2. No infrastructure for self-organization of groups
3. Doesn’t educate within the context of organizing
But this does . . .
Organizing Principles
7. Personalize the relationship
Organizing principles
“I do not think for one moment that @PresidentAz reads anything I write with my thumbs. But I do know that we all contributed to a critical mass of short sentences that together was of a significant size to be noticed. It is definitely the case that Azerbaijani officials, linguists and supporters would have been aware of this chatter.” Robert Sharp, Liberal Conspiracy, 27.05.11
Organizing Principles
8. Facilitate peer-to-peer opportunities
Organizing principles
Three reasons this works:
1. Begins from your own story2. Makes starting your own peer-
peer campaign straightforward3. Defines progress
Organizing Principles
9. Provide incentives for offline action
Organizing principles
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Game-style rankingPersonal invitations to
eventsSpecial training/education
opportunities
Organizing Principles
10. Create content that rocks
Organizing principles
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Drawing by Numbers10 Tactics
Message in-a-boxMobiles in-a-boxSecurity in-a-boxInfo-design guide
Maps for advocacyOnline advocacy guide
ONO filmsDigital Survival Guide
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