Purpose Hosts Panel Discussion to Celebrate Social Media Week

From #BlackLivesMatter to the People’s Climate March, 2014 saw people, organizations, and brands begin to harness the power of online participation in order to fuel real-world mobilization on an unprecedented scale. But social media chatter alone did not instantly equate to impact in these cases – the breakthrough campaigns of 2014 not only moved public hearts and minds, but also created networks that came together to enact real social and political change around the world.

To uncover the secrets to building effective social media campaigns that have the power to incite real and lasting change, Purpose hosted “More Than Just a Hashtag: Making Campaigns That Matter” in collaboration with Social Media Week.

The panel included the following group of all-star activists and bold leaders: 

Dave DeLuca – Head of Campaigns, Do Something.org
Dante Barry – Executive Director, Million Hoodies
Cammie Croft – Deputy Executive Director, Amnesty International
Bridget Todd – Social Media and Community Editor, MSNBC

Moderated by Purpose’s own Strategy Director, Megan Anhalt, the evening centered around the most disruptive and impactful campaigns of 2014.  The panelists shared key insights on the role that media outlets, both private and public, can play in movement building. Bridget Todd of MSNBC spoke to the power of social media to elevate underrepresented voices, “There are not a lot of traditionally marginalized folks who own media conglomerates. But with Twitter I have the same type of access to a platform as a person who owns a media company. You see so many voices being amplified on Twitter, whether it be feminists or people of color, voices that can’t be silenced by corporate interests.”                       

The panelists also focused on the online to offline theme that played out in 2014 and the significance this holds.  Dave DeLuca of DoSomething.org provided insightful commentary on this topic, “This year we’ve seen the decentralized movement of people organizing around shared ideals. With #BlackLivesMatter and the rallying of support for victims of college sexual assault, you saw a type of movement that I think is the future of activism.”

Links from the article: 
http://socialmediaweek.org/newyork/events/make-campaigns-matter/
https://www.dosomething.org/
http://www.mhoodies.org/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/
http://www.msnbc.com/