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

Hugh Macleod . . . http://www.gapingvoid.com/

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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