Change in the Social Movement Ecosystem

In 1997, my world felt much smaller and, thus, my awareness of social causes quite limited. The issues I recall caring about most were those that my friends and I deliberated during sleepovers, what my pastor preached on Sundays, and themes portrayed on Oprah, in the local newspaper, or on Seinfeld. Back then, I used the internet primarily as a digital encyclopedia or for email. Most people I knew still did not own a cell phone, and another ten years would pass before the launch of the first iPhone.

To say social-cause communication has changed over the last few decades would be an understatement. Today, digital technologies offer international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) a vast array of tools to maintain constant and immediate connectivity with domestic and global stakeholders. Smartphone apps, social media sites, and video conferencing are just a few examples. Like so many today, my professional and academic interactions take place primarily in the virtual space. So, it follows that the tools I use to participate in social causes are also digital. When an adverse event happens demanding social change, I see the news report almost instantly on my iPhone. With just one or two clicks, I can donate to nearly any cause on digital fundraising platforms like GoFundMe or ActBlue.

Keys to Success for Remaining Relevant

Leveraging these new digital media is the first key to success for an INGO to remain relevant in today’s ever-changing environment. Digital humanitarianism or the “ways in which digital technologies and their applications along with personal devices and platforms can be used to mitigate and control the impact of human-made and natural disasters” (Thomas, 2019, p. 139) has become the new normal. Yet, “with the inability of authority such as the state or government to protect citizens, ‘risk’ has increasingly become an issue for individuals to sort out themselves. Arguably, therefore, digital humanitarianism is a two-edged sword” (Thomas, 2019, p. 144). While digital humanitarianism is essential, relying on it as the only response to a crisis can be problematic.

The second key to success for an INGO’s relevance is adaptability. Undoubtedly, COVID-19 sped up this evolution at an unprecedented pace — increased society’s comfort with virtual operations and communications. Now that this adaptation has taken place, it seems it will not go away with the pandemic. Thus, INGOs must get comfortable with this paradigm shift. “When one way doesn’t work, we try another. When one system fails, we build another. We struggle to do things differently, and we push on. As always, we have no other choice” (Ehrenreich, 2020). The third key to success for an INGO to remain relevant is its ability to understand contexts. It must understand the nuances of the challenges stakeholders face relative to their culture and historical and current events.

Mini Case Analysis: OutRight Action International

OutRight Action International, an INGO that “fights for human rights of LGBTIQ people everywhere” (OutRight Action International, 2021a), has demonstrated that it understands the three keys to success — new digital media, adaptability, and contexts. The organization effectively uses new digital media, such as podcasting, to reach its audiences. OutRight TV, an interview program featuring LGBTIQ people and allies worldwide, is produced as both a video series and an audio podcast. They are meeting the demands of today by giving stakeholders choices of viewing or listening to their content through various digital media.

Showing adaptability, OutRight transformed its discussion forum, OutTalks, to an online webinar series and now regularly hosts entirely virtual events. This pivot ensured that people could engage with each other and their content even with the pandemic restrictions. They promote these events on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and repurpose them as enduring content on their YouTube channel.

Lastly, OutRight understands the importance of contexts, reporting the challenges LGBTIQ people face during COVID-19. These include “devastation of livelihoods, increased food insecurity, barriers to health care and access to life-saving medications, rising unemployment, homelessness and increased domestic violence” (OutRight Action International, 2021b). The website also mentions a decline in support services due to LGBTIQ organizations struggling financially during the pandemic. Putting its research findings into context helped them recognize the need for a COVID-19 emergency fund, and donating to the fund is as easy as two clicks. This strategy further illustrates that OutRight knows how to adapt and leverage new digital media to meet the needs of its stakeholders.

References:

Ehrenreich, B. (2020, November 4). How do you know when society is about to fall apart? New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/magazine/societal-collapse.html?referringSource=articleShare

OutRight Action International. (2021a). About us. https://outrightinternational.org/about-us

OutRight Action International. (2021b). Covid response. https://outrightinternational.org/outrights-covid-response

OutRight Action International. (2021c). OutRight TV. https://outrightinternational.org/outright-tv

OutRight Action International. (2021d). OutTalks. https://outrightinternational.org/OutTalks

Thomas, P.N. (2019). Communication for social change: Contexts, social movements and the digital. SAGE Publications Inc.