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 Neil416.892.6624@boydneilwww.boydneil.com