Climate News 25:06“I can’t stand Facebook. Used it last about five years ago.”
This came up at a recent workshop we were running in the context of how to reach new audiences. It was from a community environmental stalwart and was at a table that included a lot of new, young locals. They probably don’t use Facebook either, it being viewed as boomer media. I did point out that some of the local suburb-based groups had over 11,000 members and might be worth engaging with if we wanted to increase the size and scope of environmental action. Whichever channel is best, the key is to go to where people are, not expect them to come to you. On Facebook, that will likely include you being labelled as a “woke waste of space” (thanks Anonymous Poster 4169!) but it’ll also generate new contacts who don’t look at council social media or regularly attend festivals. It’s partly a result of underselling the practice of recruitment in community engagement. Engagement is the thing you are doing (e.g. a workshop, a festival, a wildlife walk etc.); how to get people there can sometimes be an afterthought that encourages the use of comfortable spaces (e.g. our sustainability newsletter, posters in libraries etc.). If we want to reach beyond the usual suspects, recruitment should be slightly uncomfortable, and it should be structured with clear targets and measurable impacts. Otherwise, we’re talking to ourselves.
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