Using the Web for Campaigning
A few notes exploring the potential of campaigning through the internet.
Introduction
All of us as campaigners would like to achieve more for our world than we already do. Using a campaign web site offers us the opportunity to reach many times more people for our efforts than other campaign methods. Conventional approaches such as having stalls in the town centre are valid and reach some people, but for an equivalent number of “person-hours” a small campaign group can use the internet to reach an audience of thousands, potentially millions. An experienced group of campaigners can apply its special skills to manage a web site which can easily achieve a high ranking on web searches.
A web name provides the public with an easily remembered phrase which they can go away with and use to obtain more information in their own time. Opportunities to get an ethical message across through the media or on the streets are brief, and a web site gets past this little hurdle.
It is true that the internet is not available to all people, but it makes more sense to influence 10,000 internet users than 100 people in the street. And once established, the site is active 24/7 and the work input is thereafter relatively small.
Approach
It is first necessary to understand the problem – ie changing people – as accurately as possible. This requires a deep understanding of the reasons why people reject the common sense solutions of environmentalism, or other ethical campaigning. Most of the reasons why people reject ethical truths have to do with ego. Getting people to act on their conscience is a problem which is still eluding psychotherapists all over the world. Briefly, the way to get into people’s heads has to be by seduction, rather than preaching. The second we come across as more righteous, people will usually begin to back off, even though we know it is in their interest to listen to us and take our rational and scientifically-backed advice! A quick example – fitting energy efficient light bulbs is not only good for the planet, but can provide a financial reward of 400% per year, guaranteed. The main reason why people still reject this undeniable truth is they suffer from ego.