DIGITAL ACTIVIST
Stand Up and Speak Out!
Digital Activism
A great way to get your message across and engage is through digital activism. You have influence! You don’t need to be an expert to use your voice online. You can make a difference by engaging and speaking out on social media. If we all do a little something, together we can make a big impact!
Make no mistake, those who seek to destroy our freedoms are utilizing these platforms with weapon-like precision to get their narrative out and mobilize. We HAVE to be involved in these platforms to get OUR message out and mobilize our people!!
Step 1
Identify Your “Stand Up” Causes
What issues do you want to stand up and speak out about? There are plenty online resources on topics you’re already passionate about as well as those that may be new to you. If you aren’t sure what you want to support, below are some suggestions of issues that other Christians are supporting:
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Election Integrity
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Free Speech
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Border Security
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Right To Life
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Gun Rights
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Quality Education
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Stopping Critical Race Theory
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Medical Freedom
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Support Political Candidates
Step 2
Activate Your Message:
Online Apps & Platforms
The next step is to utilize online tools to get the word out. There are several essential tools and platforms that can make your voice heard. You can reach other people as well as governing bodies who can directly affect changes in our society from the top down.
Social Media Networks
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Facebook: Facebook allows users to create both publicly visible and private groups that help activists and their supporters share information and coordinate their efforts. Facebook groups also help causes and organizations find new supporters and pool their resources when needed.
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Instagram: This app allows users to quickly and easily share visual-impactful content, making it an extremely accessible tool for activists. Users can create profiles for supporters to follow and quickly disseminate news via the main feed or direct messaging. The nature of the platform has led digital activists to post information in forms that closely resemble hardcopy fliers from the pre-internet age, giving it a slightly more relatable or personal touch than other platforms. Instagram also allows users to post and livestream videos. Activists have used this as a way to document their work, give visual proof of their success and turnout at events, and more.
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Twitter: One of the primary sources for news for many around the globe, Twitter serves as a real-time information hub for activists and their supporters. Although it has many of the same features as Facebook’s newsfeed, Twitter was one of the first social media sites to connect publicly visible posts using the “hashtag” feature. For example, if a user makes a post and includes the hashtag #ElectionIntegrity, the post will be included in a publicly visible list or feed of all the posts that include that same tag. Activists can use hashtag and retweets, or the re-posting of another’s post, to help disseminate information, gain followers, locate like-minded activists, and quickly organize events.
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YouTube & Rumble: Many online activists today choose to utilize YouTube (or Rumble in case of YouTube censorship) in order to get their message out to the masses, especially for those who wish to make regularly occurring posts, share video news stories, or broadcast live feeds from events. Some groups and organizations treat YouTube as a news channel. YouTube serves as an excellent way to involve your supporters remotely, especially through remote participation in livestreams. Some activists also use the comments section in YouTube posts to discuss issues with viewers and locate additional supporters. YouTube offers the familiar “follow” feature, which allows users to receive notifications when you post new content.
Other Apps in the Age of Censorship
Unfortunately, due to increasing censorship and loss of our free speech, many conservatives have been censored most often for no good reason other than they don’t fit a preferred narrative. Other popular apps conservatives are using are:
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Gab
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Telegram
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Gettr
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Parler
Step 3
Tips for Social Media Activity
1- Follow WeStandUSA.org
Find and follow WeStandUSA.org social media profiles for updates and content to share.
2- Use Hashtags
When you use hashtags in your social media posts, your content is then automatically categorized for your audience. Provided the information you share is publicly visible (check your privacy settings), just about anyone using that platform can see your posts, making it easy for like-minded people to connect.
3- Use Emoticons
While this is may not be a strategy fit for every online post, emoticons can make your content more personable for online readers. Even if your content tends to be on the serious side, emoticons such as the red flashing lights, alarm bells, lightning bolts, and the like can draw attention to important messages or captions when you post.
4-Tell a Good Story
When possible, use a story, personal anecdote, or the compelling stories of others to engage your readers. As one of the time-tested modes of human interaction, a good story holds great power in supporting your message no matter the medium.
5- Humanize Your Content
Part of the reason that good storytelling is so effective in social media content is because it makes content more relatable. We’ve all seen posts from social media accounts that are stiff, bland, and lacking any kind of engaging spirit. To ensure your digital activism carries some weight and resonates with people, show and tell them exactly how it makes you feel, how others feel about it, and why it matters. That makes your content “more human,” honest, real, and more likely to get others on board with your efforts.
6- Visuals Matter
Although you may be using social media platforms, email lists, and more to deliver text-based messages, remember that your design, layout, and photos are also a part of that message. Do your best to use high-quality images, especially on image-focused outlets like Instagram. Secondly, don’t overlook the power of a clean, easily readable, and visually engaging email blast. Your followers will support you for your cause and message, but they will continue to come back and engage with your posts if you offer them visually pleasing content. They are also more likely to share your materials, and thus your messages, with their friends and followers they look good.
7- Diversify Your Content for Each Platform
Engage your supporters in different ways on each platform. Otherwise, why would someone follow you on more than one platform at a time? Get creative.
8- Share the Work of Other Activists
Share the efforts of other groups that are working toward similar goals. It is beneficial for both groups, as supporters may choose to help one another, and moves the mission forward toward achieving the goals.
Step 4
Stand Up to Trolls
When you stand up on certain issues, expect to get some backlash from time to time. However, there is a more malicious type of internet opponent digital activists should be aware of. A troll is someone who makes intentional inflammatory, rude, or upsetting statements online to elicit a strong emotional response in people or to steer a conversation off topic. Most trolls do this for their own amusement, while others have specific agendas. Whatever the case may be, knowing how to handle them is essential to a successful campaign. Here are the most important things to keep in mind.
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Be Prepared
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With the strong possibility of being trolled online, it’s best to know in advance how you plan to handle it. Some choose to ignore them entirely. Others engage them in strategic ways. Assuming that the troll is, in fact, a real human and not some kind of bot that’s auto-generating comments on your posts, you will likely get a response if you engage them.
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Be Calm
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A troll’s main goal is to upset you and bring out the worst in you and your social media followers. Should you choose to engage them, it’s best to respond calmly. If you show no signs of being worked up and address them with a non-aggressive tone, you will remain one step ahead of them. Don’t delete their posts, this can escalate their bad behavior. Report them if their posts break the rules and guidelines of the platform, however.
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Be Positive
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It’s also extremely advantageous to stay positive in your responses. One of the ways to do that is to respond with any credible sources and facts that may support your cause, a particular post, or disprove a troll’s comment. This can be a rabbit hole, because they may come back at you with alternative sources. At this point, it may be best to walk away. Many trolls, however, will not be able to provide any credible support for their arguments.
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Step 5
Measure Your Success
As with any worthwhile effort, it can be helpful for you and those involved to acknowledge the successes of your work. From big to small, your success and progress matters, boosts morale, inspires others to support you, and builds awareness of your work. How do we measure success in the digital age? Here are some actionable ways to measure the effectiveness of your work.
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Growth in Followers
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A significant growth in your followers on your social media platforms can be a good sign that your message and goals resonate with people. Keep in mind that the more followers you get, the more people who see your message and the further your social media reach will be.
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Action and Movement
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Did your organization or group make some kind of progress?
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Did you meet or come close to your goals?
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Additional Resources:
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Leadership Institute – Trains conservatives in campaigns, fundraising, grassroots organizing, youth politics, and communications. L.I. has a great online Digital Activist training course “Social Media for Activism” for $10.00, found here: Social Media for Activism | Leadership Institute (teachable.com) .
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Heritage Action For America - Activist Training, click link below: