Impact and longevity in the digital era

In an article entitled “Six social movements the world can learn from” (Canadian International Council, 18 June 2015), Nick Dagostino and Amanda Coletta discuss the significance and impact of digital tools utilized in social campaigns.

A group of researchers from the University of Toronto’s Munk School along with Canada’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Ben Roswell, studied 11 citizen or civil society-led social movements.

The group’s report examines

“what motivates citizens to act and participate in social campaigns and, perhaps most importantly, what encourages their continued participation. The report details a series of recommendations for campaign organizers and activists on how to best achieve impact and longevity, two aspects of social campaigns that are often at odds with one another.”

The following six campaigns are discussed:

1. I Paid a Bride, India
2. The Umbrella Movement, Hong Kong
3. The People’s Climate March, International
4. Movimiento 15, Spain
5. Idle No More, Canada
6. Anti-SOPA/PIPA, United States

Read the full article here: Six social movements the world can learn from (Canadian International Council, 18 June 2015).

The entire report can be found here: Citizen Campaigns: Impact & Longevity in the Digital Era (DirectDiplomacy.net, April 2015).

Image credit: Marcel Mason