Being a Star on Social Media Isn’t Enough
Stephanie and Bix have both recently pointed out just how valuable social media can be for creating buzz and propelling movement toward social change. I totally agree and it’s a good thing since I spend a good part of my days managing social media campaigns. It’s thrilling that by hitting tweet or send, you can share your thoughts and ideas with individuals all over the world.
Let’s assume you’re doing everything right. You have 300,000 Twitter followers and 900,000 friends on Facebook not to mention 1,200 connections on LinkedIn and once you share your idea with your faithful followers, you are rewarded with thousands of likes, retweets, shares, and comments. You have succeeded. The world has heard and even helped serve as a megaphone for your message. But now what!? Is sharing a message and getting the word out the same as affecting social change?
Earlier this month, we DID see evidence of social and political change in concert with outrage and activism online when Indiana (thankfully) dialed back on their egregious and hateful legislation. But we’ve also seen compelling evidence recently that awareness and visibility on social media isn’t always enough. I’ve known of Kickstarter campaigns that were shared all over Facebook and Twitter by well meaning people who were happy to share but seemingly forgot to donate. Despite the visibility of the campaign, these Kickstarter campaigns never got started because the funds weren’t raised. People’s enthusiasm to share didn’t convert to action or reaching for their wallets.
More tragically, the allusion that visibility equals support was revealed when Blake Brockington committed suicide in March. He became a bit of a social media celebrity when he was elected North Carolina’s first transgender prom king. Yet, that online support wasn’t enough for Blake or too many other teens. Blake’s death was the sixth reported suicide of trans youth in the US this year. If you scrolled through Twitter on #TransDayofVisibilty, you might think we live in a compassionate and passionate world where most people are advocates for all gender restrooms and are welcoming to all people. Unfortunately, for the trans community, visibility on social media has yet to lead to decreased violence or real acceptance in real life.
Earlier this week, we honored #EqualPayDay and I earnestly shared my plea for people to acknowledge that families are suffering every day because women–particularly women of color--are being very shortchanged at pay day. It felt empowering to share Pew studies that supported my beliefs but I was totally defeated the next morning when #EqualPayDay was over, the conversation fizzled, and life went on.
But here’s the thing: when it comes to movement building, raising money, or changing the world, social media is a tool not a solution. You can’t educate problems away or tweet funds into your cause. It doesn’t matter if everyone on the Internet is screaming “Hooray” every time you mention your case until you mobilize people on the ground. Next time you are sharing the cause dear to your heart, don’t just think about how many likes you want to get. Don’t just set a goal for how many times someone is going to share your post. Think about how your words, photos, and videos are going to mobilize people into action in real life.
