Is Online Increasing Participation in Campaigns ?

Chris Rose [email protected] www.campaignstrategy.org @campaignstrat 2012

Members of the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth outside 10 Downing Street to hand over a petition to the Prime Minister containing a million signatures from people who support their "Save the Whale" campaign. 29 June 1979 1979 Then and now

• 1979 • Now it has about 150 • FoE in England and staff and 100,000 Wales had about a supporters. dozen staff and 10,000 • Avaaz has 16 million supporters.

2000 Climate talks COP6 in the Hague

11 million petition

www.climatevoice.org 2009 Climate talks COP15 in Copenhagen

17 million petition

GCCA tcktcktck.org

2000 and 2009

• 2000 • 2009 • Early days use of • Mature (‘pre’ social internet media) use of internet • 3 groups • 300 groups • 11 million electronic • 17 million electronic signatures signatures Of course a lot has changed

1971 en route Amchitka. consisted of one boat and a couple of dozen people

At the helm of aka the Greenpeace: Robert Hunter of the Vancouver Sun, and Ben Metcalfe of CBC, both working journalists.

It couldn’t happen now. 1971 E PACIFIC

DURING THE GREENPEACE VOYAGE, WESTERN UNION DELIVERED LONGEST EVER TELEGRAM TO THE US WHITEHOUSE, WASHINGTON DC.

IT HAD 177,000 CANADIAN SIGNATURES.

IT TOOK FOUR DAYS TO RECEIVE.

The thought behind campaign engagement

‘Politicians, take note. There is a power out there in suburbia, so far harnessed only to charity drives, campaigns and PTAs which, if ever properly brought to bear on the great problems of the day, will have an impact so great the result of it’s being detonated (like the Amchitka A‐bomb test) cannot be predicted’.

Bob Hunter, 1969 ? Tweets My guess 1

Mobilisation of numbers is now easier but part of its impact = nos. x effort

HIGH effort LOW

My guess 2

As societies develop there will be more Inner Directed people –who typically start and support ‘cause’ campaigns. Hans Rosling Hence more campaigning.

80

70

60 Inner 50 Pioneer 40 Outer Prospector 30 Settler Sustenance 20

10

0 India China Argentina UK US

Data: Cultural Dynamics pers comm www.cultdyn.co.uk My guess 3

Campaigns need to create social bonds, as well as enlist socially bonded allies.

HIGH creating social bonds LOW