Using social media for advocacy
Moving beyond #hashtagactivism
(but using that too)
What is social media?
• Social media is a lot of
things. It’s job boards.
Crowd-funding sites.
Massively Multiplayer
Online games. Video
swapping platforms.
And on and on and on
Social network
Social networks then
Social networks now
Why?
People use it
Because we’re increasingly online.
Nearly 3 in every 4 people in the
United States use social networking
sites according to the Pew Research
Center.
The rates are higher for younger
people, with roughly nine out of 10
people between the ages of 18 and 29
actively engaged in social media.
Age is the only divider
Social media use cuts across gender, education and income lines. The only
significant difference is age. Many of these younger members prefer to get
their news and information over social networks to the exclusion of other
media.
ISEA members get their
information from social
media more than other
sources
Social media platforms scored the
highest on a survey of Iowa State
Education Association members.
Social media: 3.16
UniServ or unit newsletters: 3.00
My building rep: 2.97
ISEA website: 2.94
The Communique: 2.93
But you have to promote it
A scenario
So how do we use social media to support public
education advocacy?
Start with the popular ones
The actions
• 38% of those who use social networking sites
(SNS) or Twitter use those social media to
“like” or promote material related to politics
or social issues that others have posted
• 35% of social media users have used the tools
to encourage people to vote. There is not
notable variance among different age groups
on this activity.
The actions
• 34% of social media users have used the tools
to post their own thoughts or comments on
political and social issues.
• 33% of social media users have used the tools
to repost content related to political or social
issues that was originally posted by someone
else.
The actions
• 31% of social media users have used the tools
to encourage other people to take action on a
political or social issue that is important to
them.
• 28% of social media users have used the tools
to post links to political stories or articles for
others to read.
The actions
• 21% of those who use SNS or Twitter belong
to a group on an SNS that is involved in
political or social issues, or that is working to
advance a cause.
• 20% of social media users have used the tools
to follow elected officials and candidates for
office.
Again, the younger you are the more
likely it is you do this
Back to the scenario
It’s a year out from contract negotiations. When
negotiations start you’ll want membership
that is both informed and committed. You can
use social media to build that base now.
Start with a Facebook
Facebook is the hugely popular social media site
which reported 1.3 billion users as of Jan. 7,
2015.
Users can upload text, photos and videos to
their pages by posting.
The more “likes” and “shares” a Facebook post
gets, the wider the post will spread on your
network
Tips
• Keep your page public. You can set up a
private page which only allows people to see it
if they are invited & gives a false sense of
security.
• Post news and information regularly. Try for
something new at least twice a week.
Stumped for content? Grab something from
the ISEA Facebook page.
Home base
• Think of your local Facebook page as your
Sunday paper or a magazine. It’s the place
members can see the latest news and
information, member photos and events.
Cleaning the rock
4,700+ views
Posting Dos
• Do post pictures of members engaged in
activities. Make sure you use cutlines to
describe what’s going on in the photos.
• Do link to articles and content from outside
sources that are interesting and relevant to
your work as a local association.
• Do share information from the ISEA Facebook
page.
Posting Don’ts
• Don’t post vice pictures (drinking, gambling,
etc…)
• Don’t engage in personal arguments online –
some things are better left to phone calls or a
face-to-face chat.
• Don’t mistake your local page for your
personal page. Be very wary of memes,
sarcasm, etc…
Scenario
Meanwhile, you’ll also want to start your Twitter
account.
Twitter is a microblog that allows users to post
140-character “tweets” and allows people
users to organize tweets using hashtags
#Hashtag activism
#bringbackourgirls
It works
“Missouri would have
convinced you that we
did not exist if it were not
for social media. The
intensity with which they
responded to protestors
very early—we were able
to document that and
share it quickly with
people in a way that we
never could have without
social media.” DeRay
Mckesson
Obama & Romney agree
A study of 2012 presidential twitter
• The presidential campaigns used Twitter primarily
to influence the journalists using the platform,
both in terms of what they were tweeting about
and what they produced for other mediums.
• Both planned their tweets around major political
events.
• Campaigns worked to create a “climate of
opinion” on Twitter that was favorable to their
candidate.
Twitter Dos
• Incorporate Twitter into your news
distribution program.
• Retweet information that supports your
position and information your followers find
valuable – especially if it has a deadline
• Link to content where folks can find more
• Retweet ISEA tweets
Twitter Don’ts
• Don’t get into twitter fights.
• Don’t try to be funny. Most of us aren’t
• Don’t use your local account as a personal
account. Remember you’re representing the
organization.
Scenario
• Bringing it together.
• You’ve built a following of members on your
Facebook and members and journalists on
your Twitter.
• Negotiations are approaching but things don’t
look like they’ll be easy.
Your Facebook
• Your Facebook page is your Sunday paper. You
can go in-depth.
• Use your Facebook to provide members with
information about the issues at stake. Answer
their questions in comments, but don’t get into
personal attacks.
• Use Facebook to provide information about
upcoming meetings.
• Although you can go in-depth, keep posts short.
Split up topics into digestible bites. Use images
Red
• For instance, during the
Chicago Teacher’s
strike, the teacher’s
union encouraged
members to wear red in
a show of solidarity and
posted those photos on
their Facebook
Your Twitter
• Your Twitter is an AP feed: Just the headlines
• Use your Twitter to get news out to members
and media, in addition to traditional methods
• Use it to remind people of upcoming dates
and deadlines
• Establish a hashtag for your efforts.
#wholestory
• For example, during the
Chicago teacher’s strike, the
union responded to a
negative Chicago Tribune
series by creating the
#wholestory hashtag where
supporters tweeted about
their positive experiences
with teachers which
arnered more than 5 million
impressions and was the #1
trending topic in the
Chicago area for the weeks
surrounding the strike
Off-site microsite
Moving beyond
• If it gets hairy you
should consider and offsite micro site to focus
specifically on this
issue.
• Use your existing social
media to direct people
to the site
• Identifies it as a
separate campaign
Go Deeper
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“Seizing the moment: The presidential campaigns’ use of Twitter during the 2012
electoral cycle”
https://danielkreiss.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/kreiss_seizingthemoment.pdf
“Hashtag Activism isn’t a Cop-Out” The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/not-just-hashtag-activismwhy-social-media-matters-to-protestors/384215/
“The role played by social media in political participation and electoral campaigns”
European Parliamentary Research Service http://epthinktank.eu/2014/02/12/therole-played-by-social-media-in-political-participation-and-electoral-campaigns/
“Social Media and Political Engagement” Pew Research Internet Project
http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/10/19/social-media-and-political-engagement/
“How Political Activists Are Making The Most Of Social Media” Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/15/social-media-social-activism-facebooktwitter-leadership-citizenship-burson.html
“Parents, Teachers, Students Urge Tribune to tell #TheWholeStory”
https://storify.com/iftaft/parents-teachers-students-urge-tribune-to-tell-the
Questions?
Mike Wiser
Iowa State Education Association
mwiser@isea.org
515-471-8026