Practicing Rich Advocacy in the Age of Instant Gratification

A few weeks ago, I met a recruiter from a local non-governmental organization while walking home from work. When I told her I was already a member of her organization, she asked me whether I wrote letters and emails for their campaigns. I said that I did. But when she started talking about their current campaign as if I was familiar with it, I was at a loss. I had probably received an email about the issue and taken the suggested action of emailing the Prime Minister, but this campaign did not sound at all familiar to me. It seemed I had read over the information too quickly, clicked to send my message, and promptly forgotten all about it.

This got me thinking about what it means to be an advocate in the age of the internet, text-messages, and Blackberries. Has our instant-gratification culture infiltrated the realm of political activism?

Instant activism

The communication tools of our culture—email, instant messaging, text messages and the like—are often blamed for disconnecting us from one another and weakening our communication skills. The irony of these technologies is that they connect people around the globe, while making us more disconnected from our neighbours. They also encourage volume rather than depth—making it possible for an individual to connect with hundreds of people a day, without having a meaningful conversation with anyone.

And these effects are present in the way we engage in political activism. Email alerts have become the norm for any organization involved in advocacy. The internet is an incredibly powerful tool to increase awareness, support, and involvement in a campaign. Anyone with a passion can start a website or a blog that has the potential to reach millions of people. Organizations like Make Poverty History and Amnesty International have achieved wonderful victories in combating poverty and promoting human rights through mass internet campaigns. Such success stories demonstrate the power of digital connectedness, and they ought to be celebrated.

However, along with the advantages of this interconnectedness, we must examine the potential pitfalls. Mass email campaigns work very well for straightforward issues that can be explained in a brief paragraph. Such straightforward issues will naturally gain the support of many people. But how many of those receiving these emails, and acting on them, are truly invested in the causes? Does this method contribute to the deterioration of our research and communication skills? Could we be missing out on more fulfilling types of advocacy when we limit ourselves to mass email campaigns?

Rich advocacy

Effective campaigns must take advantage modern technologies while preserving the skills necessary to engage in rich advocacy. Rich advocacy means understanding the ins and outs of an issue, speaking from personal experience, and making real connections with decision-makers.

Rich advocacy starts with becoming passionate about an issue of injustice. It may mean getting to know the victims of this injustice and trying to understand their situation. It means reading in-depth reports, examining more than one side of the issue, and researching current policies or legislation. It means being creative in coming up with solutions and devising advocacy tactics. It means building relationships with decision-makers through persistent dialogue. These actions are an essential part of what it means to strive for public justice.

Practicing rich advocacy means investing time into a cause, being willing to deal with “grey” areas, and persevering through potential setbacks and disappointments. Not everyone is able to invest the time and energy required to do this. But each of us can take small steps toward this, first by getting connected in our communities, identifying needs around us, and beginning to address them.

The fact that we can participate in advocacy campaigns from our computers should not prevent us from spending time on the complex, sometimes overlooked issues that are all around us. Activism that is grounded in real relationships, with valuable time and energy invested in it, will be effective and long-lasting. We will be less likely to sink into apathy because it will mean something to us personally. Engaging in rich advocacy through building relationships and investing in a cause is not only effective, but fulfilling as well.

the Catalyst, Summer 2008, Vol. 31 No. 3