by Elisa Seegmiller
The Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute recently hosted their North Carolina Women's Summit, where I had the chance to listen to social media expert Aubrey Blankenship. Aubrey shared with the ladies at NCWS how we can be involved in conservative activism online, as well as best speak up on social media in a way that will make an impact. Below are five points we ladies learned that may surprise you about the importance of online activism.
1. Millennials use social media for just about everything, including news and public policy.
When Millennials want the news, do you think they wait for their daily newspaper like the generations before us? Not even close.
Facebook and Google account for more than 3x the total number of minutes spent on all other apps, & Facebook is the main source of news for Millennials and Gen X-ers.
With that in mind, you won't be shocked to see our social media use numbers:
- 89% of 18- to 29-year-olds use social networking sites.
- We check your smartphones on average of 85 times a day.
- We spend an average total of 5 hours on our devices each day.
2. You make a surprisingly strong impact with your voice on social media.
The truth is "People are most persuaded by people they know."
Aubrey used the example of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It swept social media! That summer it raised $41.8 million and 739,000 new donors. It was all thanks to the personal impact that friends have on friends.
So keep posting about the economy and the un-born!
3. If you post about public policy issues online, you are more likely to be involved in real life.
Researchers at the MacArthur Research Network on Youth & Participatory Politics report that young people who are active in public policies online are twice as likely to vote than those who are not.
So share the pro-life post, change the Facebook cover photo. Then take the next activism step.
"The first step for political activism is to be informed. The next step is activism. Social media is an amazing tool to amplify the conservative message.” – Deneen Borelli
4. Your posts most likely to be share are …
Posts with pictures are twice as likely to be shared. Following that are awe inspiring posts at 25%.
By those numbers, we can put two and two together and find that people on social media like to see pictures and messages that make them feel inspired.
So put this knowledge to good use! Inspire your friends to be a voice for the voiceless.
5. “An effective online presence starts with self-awareness.”
Aubrey showed us that to effectively share our views online, we need to define who we are and what we stand for. So ask yourself these questions:
- Why am I on social media?
- Why will people listen to me?
- What am I passionate about?
- What messages do I want to amplify?
- What problem am I solving?
- What is my goal?
- What is my story?
- How do I briefly reflect all of the above in my bio?
Now, go forth in courage and confidence in sharing the conservative message! And remember, always be a #ClareConservative.
Elisa Seegmiller is a fall intern at CBLPI.