Post is crossed referenced at Mr. Dyke's BlogWhat the heck am I talking about? I'm talking about a whole new way Activism. The world is opening up due to technology and this has created new innovative concepts of changing the world. Traditional methods of activism included riots, protests, debates, boycotts, etc. Yes, some had success, but when we were 'holding the stick' often it developed an atmosphere of 'US' vs 'Them'.
This new way of thinking is about putting down the stick and tangle the carrot. With technology it is now easy to gather a large group of supporters from all over the world. A group believing in the same cause, that is able to communicate easily can be powerful. A group willing to put their money where there mouth is can shift a mountain. Consumer power at its finest!
I got this idea from Carrotmob and I want to start a Bangkok Branch. Ok, here's how it works. Get a large group of concerned citizens to join and support the cause. In this case it is ethical consumerism. Approach several similar businesses and propose a competition amongst them. The winner will have all of the carrotmob supporters show up and shop there. Not only does this give the shop extra large profits on the day everyone shows up, but concerned consumers are loyal to companies making a positive difference, so they will return. As well, the money made on the big day could pay for many of the 'good' things the business implemented to improve.
Where do I want to go with this? Right now I am looking at putting together a strong team covering many skills. Then we will spread the word and build a support base. Next step is to approach businesses. My goal right now supports another goal I have been working on and that is reducing or eliminating plastic bag use in Bangkok (join the Facebook group). I want to challenge Villa, Foodland, Carrefour, Central, Emporium / Paragon, 7-11 and others to reduce or eliminate their bags. There are several ways of doing this, but I won't go into that now. However, instead of threatening to boycott if they don't do it, we reward those who do by going there in a mass gathering and buying lots of things. To take it a step further, you make it an event with media covering it and giving the business positive press. This not only helps the business, but educates others about the movement, thus building more support and possibly attracting more businesses. I am currently in the beginning stage of this and should know more in about a week. If you want to have a positive impact on the world... stay tuned.
Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.
Love the idea and am excited to support you. Leveraging social-media for this will be critical. Also, how do you reach the Thai speaking population. We can do a lot as expats, but reaching the local population and knowing what social networks they use wil be even more powerful.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. Step 1 is to get the blog ready (Carrotmob blog - I just got permission from them). 2nd is getting support. I already have over 500 on my Facebook site. It jumped from 350 to 500+ in less than 48 hours. We also have connections with all the other Int. schools here and many of them want involvement. But the key is to get Thai's involved. i have a University connection who has already agreed to be the person for that job. She is basically waiting for me to let her know when to start getting people. So let's get our part up to speed next week and then start building a support group.
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