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University of Florida, CJC Online, Global Activism & Social Change Communications MMC6638.
“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy, and mutual valuing”— Rollo May, American Psychologist.
Humans are social creatures. Throughout history, we've evolved an inherent drive to communicate: to gather, share ideas, exchange information, and cooperate for the betterment of our communities. This primal urge leads humanity to continuously develop new technologies that have the capacity to expand our communications across time and distance. From smoke signals and hieroglyphics to the printing press, telegraphs, telephones, and computers, humanity adapts as each new technology is introduced.
Over the span of a few decades, the ultimate evolution of our social realm has arrived in the form of internet connections and social networks. “In less than a generation, social media evolved from direct electronic information exchange to a virtual gathering place, to a retail platform, to a vital 21st-century marketing tool” (Maryville University, 2021). Smartphone apps now allow people to carry their communities or "villages" with them; portable devices with the power to strengthen connections or further divide us.
How has digital communication altered our ecosystem?
"At first, social media existed to help people connect digitally with friends, colleagues, family members, and like-minded individuals they might never have met in person"(Maryville University, 2021).
After personal social media usage grew into the hundreds of millions, organizations had no choice but to adapt their business models for Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms. The combination of paid social media (advertising) and cultivating an active, organically engaged social media presence has evolved into the digital marketing landscape NGOs must now embrace.
How have digital technologies affected the evolution of NGOs' social cause communications?
Social-cause NGOs have experienced both internal and external changes in their communications ecosystem. “Since social-technology emerged, executives have recognized the potential of blogs, wikis, and social networks to strengthen lines of company communication and collaboration, and to invigorate knowledge sharing” (Harrysson, Schoder & Tavakoli, 2019).
In 2019, McKinsey & Company issued a 10-year survey of more than 2,700 global executives, "The evolution of social technologies," which predicts increased collaboration and crossover between internal and external components. "Further blurring of boundaries among employees, vendors, and customers is predicted as social technologies create new processes for marshaling ideas" (Harrysson, Schoder & Tavakoli, 2019).
In 2022, McKinsey's prediction rings true. For example, LEGO - a prominent company that specializes in the manufacture of interlocking plastic bricks - has adapted to the new digital ecosystem by embedding crowdsourcing into its business model. Lego: Powered by its unique innovation strategy - The Strategy Story
For businesses like LEGO, the adaptation of these new digital communications has been relatively steady and continuous. But for social cause NGOs, "the application of business theories to the nonprofit world seems out of place...while technology holds great promise, its deep application and usage have been relatively slow and sporadic" (Woodman, 2014).
Why slow and sporadic?
Restrictive funding models.
Adaption of technology to challenging environments.
Lack of readily apparent sustainable program models.
These challenges must be addressed if today's social cause NGOs are to adapt successfully (Woodman, 2014).
How have digital technologies affected the relevance & success of a particular NGO/INGO?
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a prime example of how an INGO (international non-governmental organization) may strategically implement information and communication technology for the advantage of its beneficiaries.
To demonstrate the WWF's evolution within the digital landscape of social cause communications, here are four examples of recent social media campaigns.
2013: Anti-Poaching Campaign
Creating humanitarian outcry by posting online videos of gruesome poaching or illegal killings of wildlife is a common conservationist tactic. "The use/misuse of this imagery in campaigns plays on people's heartstrings, but critics of its misuse have coined this 'poverty and disaster porn'" (Illingworth, 2017).
While graphic images are powerful, they can be perceived as disrespectful and repelling. Alternatively, WWF chooses not to dwell on disturbing imagery. Instead, its 2013 Anti-Poaching Campaign featured print ad images of healthy, majestic animals.
One print ad shows a dignified elephant, its trunk delicately curled:
Another print ad features a stately rhinoceros: “I am not medicine.”
An ad displaying a handsome tiger declares: “I am not a rug.”
Another print of an equivocal marine turtle proclaims: “I am not a souvenir.”
Anti-Poaching Campaign supporters were also prompted to "share posters of animals entitled Hands Off My Parts over Facebook and Google Plus and to tweet messages about illicit wildlife trade on Twitter using the hashtag #HandsOffMyParts" (Newman, 2013).
“We look for our advertising and marketing to be inspirational, and we think that is best done when we show the promise of the future and what we aim to protect” - Terry Macko, chief marketing officer, WWF-US.
2014: #LastSelfie Snapchat Campaign
In 2014, WWF wanted to increase donations for endangered animals but lacked the resources to launch a major media campaign. Instead, "they utilized a modern marketing tactic: create a viral campaign on social media" (Ben-Yehoshua, 2016).
The #LastSelfie Snapchat Campaign was creative, unique, and powerful. In the print ads, WWF used Snapchat’s "self-destruct count-down method of viewing photos as a metaphor for quickly diminishing numbers of endangered species" (Burgett, 2014).
The campaign ads read: In a way, Snapchat is a mirror of real life.
The images you see are transient, instant, and unique, yet only live for a few seconds.
Just like these endangered animals.
The campaign's results? "It took only 3 days to raise the money WWF had planned to raise in a month; the campaign got widespread media coverage; it ended up winning a Webby Award. the most prestigious award in the digital industry" (Ben-Yehoshua, 2016).
The success of the #LastSelfie campaign may be attributed to several factors: innovation, matching the platform to the audience, matching the message to the platform, and a clear call to action.
2021: "Love it or Lose it" Valentine's Day Campaign
On Valentine’s Day 2021, WWF's "Love it or Lose It" Campaign urged people to declare their love for Mother Nature. The campaign offered television, radio, print, and outdoor public advertising, virtual events, and social outreach.
For the campaign release on February 14, 2021, WWF hosted a virtual Race for Love, for runners in 5K, 10K, or half marathons with people from across the country via the Charge Running app. "A social media activation across Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, offered key moments throughout the year to inspire conversation about nature’s importance using the hashtag #WhyILoveNature" (Baar, 2021).
“When you truly love something, you want to go beyond protecting it. You want to do everything you can not to lose it” - Terry Macko, chief marketing officer, WWF-US.
2022 - NFA (Non-Fungible Animals) Campaign (CANCELLED)
The WWF's NFT collection of non-fungible animals, dubbed Tokens for Nature, "raised uncomfortable questions about commodifying species that are non-fungible in the real world on the blockchain" (Kahn, 2022). Among the limited available digital animals were a giant panda, Bornean elephant, and North Atlantic right whale.
However, in a dramatic example of social media campaign failure, WWF-UK announced an NFT drop featuring 13 endangered species available for purchase on OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, then quietly canceled the sale less than 48 hours after launch.
While the NFT concept was clever, "the idea that nature is a commodity to be bought and sold for parts is what has pushed the very species WWF is hawking digitally at risk of extinction in the real world in the first place" (Kahn, 2022).
The Twitter backlash to the project was swift.
In response, the WWF issued the following statement: "We know that NFTs are a much-debated issue and that this is an untested market, which is why this was planned as a very small, time-limited test of 13 NFTs, built on Polygon which has a negligible environmental impact” (Kahn, 2022).
How is the WWF INGO leading in its approach to communications?
According to a report by WILDLABS and Colorado State University, "three emerging technologies represent new frontiers in wildlife conservation, at a time when protecting and restoring the natural world has never been more important or urgent" (WILDLABS, 2021).
The following three technologies present promising trajectories for the advancement of conservation over the next ten years.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in the field to analyze information collected by wildlife conservationists, camera traps, satellite images, and audio recordings. AI can identify photos that contain rare species or an animal call from hours of field recordings, hugely reducing manual labor (WILDLABS, 2021).
Environmental DNA (eDNA)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) collects biodiversity data by scanning samples of water or soil. Traces of animal DNA reveal the presence of previously unobserved species. A few small samples can give a detailed snapshot of an ecosystem quickly and efficiently, creating a case for greater local protections (WILDLABS, 2021).
Networked sensors
Networked sensors connect camera traps, acoustic recorders, tracking devices, and other conservation hardware online, forming a comprehensive picture of animal behavior. Tools with the highest overall performance ratings were GIS, remote sensing, drones, and mobile apps (WILDLABS, 2021).
CONCLUSION
Digital communication has irrevocably altered the social cause ecosystem. Although social media initially focused on developing collaboration between people, the next innovation hinges on the connection of internal and external networks with real-time data collection, tracking, and information about the world we live in.
Despite much progress in the digital landscape, systemic challenges across NGO/INGOs will continue to inhibit the development and adoption of promising technologies.
"Overcoming these systemic challenges to achieve scalable impact calls for a dramatic shift in approach, from a patchwork landscape of one-off projects competing for limited resources to an internationally coordinated organizational ecosystem with innovative funding mechanisms to back it" (WILDLABS, 2021).
Questions
What do you think of WWF's social media fundraising campaigns?
Where do you draw the line between inciteful imagery for humanitarian response and vulnerability, protection & privacy?
Are NGOs successfully engaging donors and volunteers in the new digital realm?
Share your thoughts.
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References
Baar, A. (2021, February 9). News: WWF shows the world some love in new campaign. Brand Innovators. https://www.brand-innovators.com/news/wwf-shows-the-world-some-love-in-new-campaign
Ben-Yehoshua, D. (2016, May 9). Snapchat for the Animals: the #LastSelfie Campaign [Blog]. Angora Media. https://www.angoramedia.com/blog/snapchat-animals-lastselfie-campaign
Burgett, G. (2014, April 14). World Wildlife Fund’s #LastSelfie campaign uses Snapchat to raise awareness about endangered species. PetaPixel. https://petapixel.com/2014/04/14/world-wildlife-fund-uses-snapchat-for-unique-lastselfie-campaign-to-bring-awareness-to-endangered-animals/
Dam, R. F. (2017, April 3). Social evolution and why we need to communicate. The Interaction Design Foundation. Social Evolution and Why We Need to Communicate | Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) (interaction-design.org)
Folk, E. (2020, May 28). Social Media as a Tool for Environment Protection [Blog]. EcoMENA. Social Media as a Tool for Environment Protection | EcoMENA
Friends of the Earth. (2022, June 6). Social movement ecology. https://www.foe.ie/news/social-movement-ecology/
Harrysson, M., Schoder, D., & Tavakoli, A. (2019, May 11). The evolution of social technologies. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-evolution-of-social-technologies
Howson, P. (2022, February 9). NFTs: WWF tried raising money with digital art but backtracked – environmental charities should follow suit. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/nfts-wwf-tried-raising-money-with-digital-art-but-backtracked-environmental-charities-should-follow-suit-176315
Illingworth, S. (2017, December 7). Is digital humanitarianism all good? HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/is-digital-humanitarianis_b_9612576
Kahn, B. (2022, February 3). Endangered animal NFTs are a thing you can buy now apparently. Protocol. https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/wwf-endangered-animal-nft
Maryville University. (2021, March 3). The evolution of social media: How did it begin and where could it go next? [Blog]. Maryville Online. The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin and Where Could It Go Next? (maryville.edu)
Newman, A. A. (2013, February 19). World Wildlife Fund's anti-poaching campaign avoids violent images. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/business/media/world-wildlife-fund-anti-poaching-campaign-avoids-violent-images.html
Rosenwald, M. S. (2017, May 24). Before Twitter and Facebook, there was Morse code: Remembering social media’s true inventor. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/05/24/before-there-was-twitter-there-was-morse-code-remembering-social-medias-true-inventor/
Thomas, P. N. (2019). Communication for social change: context, social movements and the digital. Sage Publications.
WILDLABS. (n.d.). State of Conservation Technology. Wildlabs - The Conservation Technology Network. Retrieved August 26, 2022, from https://www.wildlabs.net/state-of-conservation-technology
Woodman, L. (2014, August 26). Why tech innovation should matter to NGOs. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-tech-innovation-matte_b_5531045
World Wildlife Fund. (2021, December 15). New research identifies top 3 technologies to advance conservation [Press release]. https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/first-ever-state-of-conservation-technology-report-identifies-top-3-emerging-technologies-to-advance-conservation
An excellent, thoughtful analysis!