POV: Changes in the Social Movement Ecosystem

As technology has advanced, so to has every professional field.

While industries like construction, medicine, and other hands-on fields have seen an advancement in physical tools and gadgets, fields like public relations and social change communications have progressed due to the introduction and improvements to social media.

Within the last 10 years, we have seen drastic changes in the manner in which the social movement ecosystem and mass communication industry function. Now, more than ever, organizations are able to communicate directly with their various publics and can disseminate messages in an instant.

As the textbook states, “…the rise of new social movements (NSMs) is associated with the need for a recognition of new identities that were hidden, submerged and unrecognised, and the need to deal with the problems of over-development” (Pradip, 2019). These new, hidden and unrecognised identities consist of female equality, pre-existing and newfound sexualities, race relations, gender identification, and more.

As people become more educated and new generations become more and more progressive and inclusive, NSMs begin to gain traction. Issues that were once considered moot are now at the forefront of mass communications.

Despite all the changes in social issues and generational-morals, the most influential change in the social movement ecosystem is new technology.

For the sake of understanding how INGOs have been affected by improved technologies, I looked into Plan International. This is an organization that focuses on fighting for equality for girls as well as the advancement of children’s rights globally. Working in 71+ countries, Plan International has benefitted largely from social media’s ever-growing popularity.

The humanitarian organization was founded in 1937 and initially worked to provide children with food, shelter, and education after they were displaced during the wars ravaging Europe in the 1930s. Over time it expanded its reach to Asia, African and the Americas.

To see what Plan International is up to today, a quick visit to its website shows stories, blogs and other content that you can keep up to date with. On the “About Us” page, there are links to share the organization’s website on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and via email; each of which the organization has its own pages for. Additionally, Plan International has an Instagram page (including country-specific pages for different chapters of Plan International) as well as a TikTok account.

As I’d stated in my discussion post for this week’s prompt, I feel that the TikTok account is an excellent display of an INGO staying on top of current media trends and leading its approach to communications. TikTok has become of the most popular social media platforms within the last year (especially among children and young adults) and by posting videos there, the organization is far more likely to gain exposure.

It’s also much easier to go “viral” on TikTok. Smart use of popular sounds and hashtags can expose content to a vast amount of users.

Ultimately, improved technology has given INGOs and other organizations the ability to reach a larger audience seamlessly. In order to stay relevant, organizations must keep up with new trends and take advantage of social media tools offered to them. The example I chose was Plan International’s use of a well-designed website, social media platforms, and most importantly, its willingness to stay on top of its approach to communications.

According to Plan International’s annual review, from 2018 to 2019, there were 62 changes to laws and policies at an international level, 15 changes in national and local decision-makers’ attitudes and behaviours, 22 changes to procedures and practices by governments and an increase of 3.5 million total girls benefitting from Plan International-based projects (from 18.1 million to 21.6 million).

These increases come as a result of being able to reach a broad audience to inspire change. The social movement ecosystem has been forever altered by the introduction of improved communications through new technologies.