He wrote:

“Now I am going to speak heresy: I think what we (the collective we) have done of the past few years has been to introduce VOLUME (and by volume I mean quantity) into the discussion, but we have not substantially given the people any more voice. Perhaps more people are involved and politicized — and that’s a good thing — but the unintended consequence has been that we have so devalued the available communications channels that they are worthless.”

I tend to agree with where Gavin is going with this but worry about ‘useless’. Telemarketers are still at it and there is enough ROI to make it worthwhile in some situations. On the Internet communications strategy front I think the question is not if it is useful but in what situations and in what modalities. It seems to me, and some of us have been discussing and lamenting this issue for years, that the main problem in that Internet communications have been a replacment or diversion from tried and true organizing strategies. My .02 - Integrated tactics is what we need.

He continues:

We have built massive technological towers of babble who’s whole purpose is to try to rise above the din by shoveling it out faster and faster. They have not succeeded, and in the final analysis, I think they have actually done the opposite. I would argue that we have exacerbated the problem, first, by filling up the channel and hence turning it into so much spam, and, second, by selling modern day indulgences in the form of email “action systems.”

Bravo Gavin…and imagine if the massive financial and human resources that have gone into building and sustaining these towers of babble were more strategically placed.

When I say indulgences, I mean we make it easy to assuage our outrage, and in the end, that outrage is impotent — just go to this web site and click this link to send a letter to your congressperson. Now you’re done, you’re sins are absolved. We have linked action to information, we have succeeded in educating someone about an issue, or bill, or latest attack on our privacy or civil liberties, but we’ve also succeeded in channeling that action nowhere, defusing that outrage by clicking a button with no real effect. The problem is that the voice of the people is mute and I am not sure if technology is changing that.

And it is not just the ‘voice’ Gavin - we aren’t teaching people about their role in building a socially just society. These ‘click and go’ activities are not stepping people up an engagement pyramid that leads to more sustained action for social change…and if we do move them up the pyramid its to take them to the ‘make a donation’ page.

I want to remind people that it isn’t that we don’t know how to do it and we do have successful models that have worked. Par example….Heritage Forests a few years ago!

Ya know what I think is the problem….now I’ll speak my heresy…to many techies driving the train! Sorry but it is the number 1 problem i witness every single day with those who I work with. It isn’t lack of resources…it isn’t lack of committment…it isn’t lack of time…it isn’t lack of creativity. It is too much reliance on and decision-making by those who are the tool folks.

Marc

Marc Osten ~ Senior Consultant & Founder
Summit Collaborative & Dot Org Media

Home Office Phone - 413.303.0374
marc.osten@summitcollaborative.com