Recently I watched a viral video made by the British comedian Russell Brand, in which he analyses a segment of Fox News, America’s right-wing news network, to expose what he believes is their propaganda on the current conflict in Gaza.
Wherever you stand on the issue of media bias, it’s hard to argue with how well Brand makes his point. He highlights the subject in an engaging way; the choice to use video rather than text makes his message very accessible; and recording it as a ‘couch selfie’ rather than a polished production makes you feel like you’re hearing it from a mate. It’s funny, too, so his views sneak into your consciousness. It’s a superb example of awareness-raising, calling our attention to an important topic.
But there’s something missing. After pointing out the problem of Fox’s propaganda for 12 minutes, and getting us enraged about it, Brand doesn’t tell us how we can do something about it, or at least how we could take a step closer to addressing it. He doesn’t direct us to any of the many watchdog groups dedicated to addressing media bias, so we could donate to them or volunteer. He doesn’t call for a boycott of Fox News advertisers, or include links to successful fact-checking campaigns in his video’s description. Instead, he shows us the problem and leaves us to determine the solutions for ourselves, or take out our frustration at the gym, or at the pub – or perhaps do nothing at all.
Brand’s approach with this video is similar to what what we all do with every retweet, video message and angry Facebook post in response to hearing about an issue that concerns us. When we want to ‘take action’ online, we ring the alarm bells louder. Today, we have communication tools that our fathers (never mind our forefathers) could only have dreamed of, and the ability to spread the word like never before. Yet we’re still pretty bad at collectively solving problems rather than just pointing them out.
Of course, awareness raising is a vital component of activism: if we don’t know a problem exists, we can’t do anything about it. And I’m not saying internet activism has never brought about change – see the fantastic work of Avaaz and MoveOn in facilitating online campaigns, the success of fundraising platforms like Indiegogo, and the defeat of the SOPA and PIPA billsby grassroots efforts.
But most of the time, we don’t take our activism much further than shouting about what concerns us, which is only the first step to setting right what’s wrong with our world. Why do we do this?
One reason is obvious: finding solutions to complex and messy problems is complex and messy. We’re all busy people, reading about Gaza or Ukraine or Syria on our morning commute, or over a desk sandwich on one of 20 browser tabs fighting for screen space between spreadsheets, or watching events on the TV news as our kids play at our feet while we’re cooking dinner. We can’t be expected to figure out there and then how to fix what’s broken on our planet, so we give the alarm bell a ring with a click of the ‘share’ button and go back to our business.
But also, the entire debate on contentious topics is itself shaped around diagnosis rather than solutions, so alarm-bell ringing has become the norm. Traditional media still largely drives our online discussions, and journalists problem-point almost exclusively, instead of outlining possible fixes or even covering people who are trying to address the issues their pieces are highlighting. (Whether they should try to solve problems is a separate debate on the role of media. For my part, I believe media should empower as well as inform us, and I’m not alone.)
Lastly, even people actually solving problems themselves focus heavily on awareness-raising. As a consultant to NGOs, I often see organisations allocating many of their resources to awareness-raising of known issues that might be better spent tackling them directly. Even actions that NGOs organise that seem impact-driven, like petitions and street demonstrations, often end up serving awareness-raising goals and little else (in contrast with lobbying decision makers, doing field work, and helping to fund actions on the ground).
OK, so assuming we want to solve global issues, but we’re busy people living in a time when problem-pointing is the norm and problem solvers aren’t really showing us the way, what can we do to make our online activism more impact-driven? How do we move closer to putting out the distant fires we see on our screens?
This is a tough challenge, as ultimately what’s needed is a cultural shift in the way news is made and consumed, and in how we approach the communication tools of the day. I don’t have the answers, or even a fraction of one. But here are some ideas that might make a difference, in ascending order of calorie expenditure, to get the discussion rolling:
First, try to subtly reframe what you share and publish to make it more action-oriented. Editorialise your tweets, Facebook posts or blog entries, so the next time you post a video of an oil company dumping chemicals in the ocean, or of innocent people being slaughtered, you include not just a link but a call to action, like “We have to stop this!”. This is a semantic point, and you might think it sounds useless, but over time it could bring your audiences a step closer to asking “how?”. And it costs you nothing.
Second, try to guide news consumers towards action by making the connections journalists don’t. In the comments sections beneath articles or videos highlighting issues you feel strongly about, add links to people acting on those issues, best practice, possible ways of addressing them. If the commenting system doesn’t allow URLs, enter Google search terms. No commenting system? Package up the piece with your links and share it. Again, ensure everything you post is action-oriented.
Third, if you’re really serious about addressing issues, get involved offline. You don’t have to pack up your stuff and move to the Congo, but it’s easier than you think to find and connect with like-minded people who are working on the issue that outrages you the most. If a group doesn’t exist, put out a call and make your own: you don’t need a legal structure or funding to take collective action. Focus on a single problem; identify goals that are realistic and achievable. Share what’s worked in other situations, figure out what you’re going to do and give it a shot. Throw things at the wall and see what sticks. Treat each failure as an opportunity to learn, regroup, and come back stronger.
You won’t change the world with these suggestions. There’s a long path towards making sure that those of us that want to take action, do so in a way that can bring about impact.
But if we can start putting out fires — even only a few – and ring alarm bells a little less, the idea may catch on. And if that happens, there’s (almost) no limit to what we can achieve.