Media Psychology: Motivating Youth to Effect Positive Social Change

Motivating Net-Genners - 1

ENGAGING NET-GENNERS TO AFFECT SOCIAL CHANGE: HOW TWO PROGRESSIVE WEBSITES MOTIVATE SOCIAL ACTIVISM AMONG YOUTH

Cynthia Lieberman

Christina Aguielera singing ―America The Beautiful‖ to her son for a Rock The Vote PSA

Political Pscychology Professor Bonnie Buckner December 19, 2009

Motivating Net-Genners - 2 ABSTRACT Today‘s youth face more problems than many of the generations before them. The difference is that -- thanks to digital media -- they are able to voice their concerns through community activism using the internet, mobile phones, texting and social networks. Often referred to as ―Net-Genners,‖ they are a very mobile group, and because of their age, they have not necessarily established much of a consumer history or solidified their political party choices. When messaging to them, it is important to recognized that different age groups among the young require different approaches, style and tone. Pop culture, corporate interest and political influence also play a role in the messaging approach used to engage them.

This paper will review how traditional charities are losing ground with youth to those who engage nontraditional means. It will also examine how progressive sites like RockTheVote.com and DoSomething.org are gaining ground with targeted youth through the use of both traditional and nontraditional messaging and moving youth from passive to active participants in politics and volunteerism.

VOLUNTEERISM – PAST VS. PRESENT For centuries, youth activism has by and large been prompted by external influences such as teachers, parents or religious leaders. Therefore, young peope have traditionally participated in social activism through local community organizations (i.e. Los Angeles Mission), religious organizations (i.e.

Catholic Charities USA or Salvation Army), global charities (i.e. American Red Cross) and the education system. Most of these programs offer volunteering through their local offices, campus clubs, foreign exchange or travel programs, internships, class credit-related educational activities, and even college sororities and fraternities.

According to Nancy Lublin, CEO of the youth volunteer organization, DoSomething.org, this trend is changing. Rather than participating in a one-size-fits all charity organization, young people are navigating away from these organizations and towards cause-related issues and sites that are targeted to a niche interest, such as the environment, homelessness, and education as well as topical issues such as dating abuse, cyber bullying and more.

Kids like to interact with their media and much of their social community and activities are conducted online. Most long-standing traditional charities have websites, but amazingly, few have a specific digital media outreach that is dedicated to encourage teens to get involved. Since their websites typically do not offer an online community environment for kids to interact directly with each other or offer them opportunities to discuss their experiences, share their concerns, ask questions and voice their ideas and opinions, their interest is waning.

Motivating Net-Genners - 3 Most traditional charities offer Social Networking Site (SNS) destinations such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and/or Twitter, yet many of their SNS efforts appear obligatory more than interactive. For example, the American Red Cross has a Facebook page, but other than having a place to post basic information about their organization, photos, a wall for people to post comments and a very limited discussions tab (the last two ―discussions‖ postings were on October 28, 2009, and December 8, 2009), there is very little community activity. There is no interaction between the American Red Cross and its Facebook members, no resource information about where to get additional information on major topics such as the Swine Flu, Blood Donor shortages, natural disasters, nor updates on what the Red Cross has been actively doing, such as their involvement in local, national, or global conventions or important world and health topics.

Fortunately this isn‘t always the case. If you visit the Facebook page of another well-established, ―traditional‖ charity, Habitat for Humanity (HFH), you will find interactive wall postings between fans and HFH, as well as additional information in areas such as Photos (where you find pictures from the Global Village & Youth Leadership Conference 2009 and more), along with photos on My Flicker, relevant videos in the YouTube Box, and Boxes (where you will find links and info about many pertinent projects and issues). Offering access to this information makes kids feel connected and involved--and since for most of them, time is all they can offer--this is an important motivation to get them and keep them active.

Newer, more progressive sites such as RockTheVote.com and DoSomething.org offer aggressive interactive opportunities for kids to get involved. Their messaging is not a one-way communication.

They allow youth to feel empowered to get involved in things they care about, take personal action, and communicate with each other about their values throughout their websites, as well as heavily promoted SNS digital media portals like Facebook and others.

THE “NET-GENNERS” DEMO - WHO ARE THEY? Surpassing 80 million in numbers, Generation Y, also known as the ―Net-Genners,‖ are teens are young adults that were born between 1977 and 1990 and represent 26% of the adult population and 30% of the internet population (Pew Research, 2009),. In Allison Fine‘s book, Momentum (2006), she notes that Net-Genners are much more likely than older people to use websites, blogs, and e-mail lists to get and share news, are technology savvy and connected and a generation that is ―less institutionally loyal than their parents and grandparents‖ (pg. 65-68.)

According to a study released in 2006 by UCLA‘s Higher Education Research institute, 63% of freshmen surveyed felt it was "essential or very important" to help others, the highest percentage to say so in 25 years (as cited in USA Today, 6/29/06).

Motivating Net-Genners - 4 In a 2006 survey conducted by Reynol Junco in Mastrodicasas in their book, Connecting to the Net.Generation, 97% of the college students interviewed owned a computer, 94% owned a cell phone, and 56% owned an MP3 player, that 76% of students used instant messaging, 92% of those reported multitasking while IMing, and 40% of students used television to get most of their news and 34% the Internet. This generation spends at least 3.5 hours a day online (as cited in USA Today, 6/29/06). They are mobile, and most importantly, interactive in everything they do.

ROCK THE VOTE AND DOSOMETHING.ORG RockTheVote.com and DoSomething.com specifically target the mobile, socially connected NetGenners to get involved in social activism.

As Fine suggests, ―People who are providing services…need to proactively define themselves and their work in order to become more powerful. A large part of defining oneself comes from choosing the right language to describe who one is and what one does.‖ (Fine, pg. xvii). This is very important and something that both Rock The Vote (RTV) and DoSomething do fairly well. As stated on their website, the core message and goals of Rock The Vote are: Rock the Vote‘s mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country. Rock the Vote uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every election. And we give young people the tools to identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect their lives, and leverage their power in the political process. We are creative, effective, and controlled by nobody‘s agenda but our own – we tell it like it is and pride ourselves on being a trusted source for information on politics. We empower the 45 million young people in America who want to step up, claim their voice in the political process, and change the way politics is done.

As stated on the DoSomething.org website, their core message and goals are: DoSomething believes you have the power to make a difference. It is our aim to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of doers: people who see the need to DoSomething, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. At DoSomething.org we provide the tools and resources for you to convert your ideas and energy into positive action. Be part of a generation of doers.

Rock The Vote‘s target audience of 18-29 year olds are older and are able to make adult decisions, vote in elections, express and participate in political activism more directly, while DoSomething.org offers cause-related, volunteer activism and targets a younger crowd (14-24).

Both organizations, as Alison Fine suggests, embrace ―their primary role of engaging, educating, supporting and facilitating of networks of individuals to further their cause‖ (pg. 105). An important

Motivating Net-Genners - 5 factor in this, however is how the language, framing and style of each site‘s approach differs in many aspects due to their age range differences.

ROCK THE VOTE WEBSITE The Rock the Vote website personifies a variety of different issues and concerns, including Healthcare, Environmental Protection, Curbing The Cost Of Higher Education, Voter Registration, Election Education and more. It appears to have no hidden agenda or specific interest of its own. No corporate sponsorships clutter their message pages other than links to its own RTV merchandise.

The very first page before even entering is very forward, as it features a promo entitled, ―F the Vote with Zach and Eva‖ and uses the explicit ―F‖ word and sexual implications throughout. This screams to this young adult audience, ―I am an adult and I am not going to be messed with!!‖ and shockingly, contains ads for the likes of GMC trucks and BudLight (at least the latter is logical, given the demo). It would definitely not be appropriate for the younger, more innocent participants on DoSomething.org.

On the RTV home page, its black background and heavy use of white type and red-oriented graphics give it a more masculine feel that says, ―take me seriously, we mean BUSINESS here, this site is NOT for morons or fluffy puffs!‖ It looks more sophisticated and adult in its style, but its language varies in tone and is often tailored to the demo, using the occasional curse word or pop slang. For example, phrases like ―reform ain‘t cheap,‖ ―damn, education is expensive‖ and ―what the health?‖ are headlines that are clearly targeted to the young-adult demo. Still, much of the hard-hitting, action-oriented language is bold and direct, with capitalized action messages such as, ―WE HAVE TAKEN ONE HISTORIC STEP,‖ ―REGISTER TO VOTE/REGISTER HERE,‖ ―SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGNS,‖ ―SUPPORT OUR HEALTHCARE CAMPAIGN.‖ To further connect with its target audience, the site also highlights featured artists and archived music supporters, plus recent political news, a link to the RTV blog and more. Other than a video player with the same Zach & Eva promo (designed to ―show you the cool and sexy ways you can Rock the Vote‖), the home page and the site in general is fairly static in its display.

DOSOMETHING.ORG WEBSITE In contrast to the RTV site, the DoSomething.org website is brighter, more colorful and has lots of movement. It also uses action and interactive words to help motivate its younger audience, with phrases and sections such as ―What‘s Your Thing,‖ ―Act Now,‖ ―Cause of the Month‖ (Support Our Troops!), and links to others such as ―Violence and Bullying,‖ ―War, Peace and Politics‖ and ―Discrimination‖, ―Project of the Day‖ (such as the ―Basketball Court Project‖ and a zip code finder for local opportunites), ―Share Something‖ (poll questions on important subjects such as ―anti-texting while driving laws‖) and ―Cause Videos‖ (this month: ―Charter for Compassion,‖ plus links to other cause

Motivating Net-Genners - 6 related videos on topics like ―Discrimination of Women,‖ and ―Got a Laptop? Make a Difference!‖). If you click through to these links, you will find more information about the cause and action steps to get involved or support that specific cause. Like the RTV site, it appears to have no hidden agenda or specific interest of its own. However, ―Sponsors that Rock‖ (such as Doritos, VH1 and Aeropostale are included on the home page in a rolling logo fashion.

“IT DON’T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN’T GOT THAT SWING” As Dave Westen, noted author of The Political Brain (2008) says, ―The point of every ad, stump speech, position statement, or page on a candidate‘s web site should be to elicit a specific emotion or set of emotions. This is the first and most important principle of political persuasion.‖ (pg. 257) In other words, reason is never enough on its own and a campaign is destined to fail if it does not offer a messaging system that provides a compelling emotional tie.

In addition, social and online activism sites must always stay true to a set of core operating values from which the rest of their activities flow. The previously mentioned RTV and DoSomething mission s statements clearly state their goals and are written in a way that speaks to their target demo without using traditional words such as nonprofit (Fine, 2006, pg. xvii-xviii). Instead, they use words that evoke reason and emotion. Rock The Vote, for example, uses words and phrases such as: Engage Build Achieve progressive change Incite Tools to identify Learn

Take action Leverage their power Creative Effected Controlled by nobody‘s agenda Tell it like it is

Pride ourselves Trusted source Step up Claim their voice Change the way politics are done

DoSomething uses words and phrases such as: Aim Inspire Support Celebrate Generation of doers See the need to do Get it done

Believe in their ability Take action Provide the tools and resources Convert your ideas and energy Positive action Be part of a generation of doers ACTIVATING EMOTION THROUGH LANGUAGE

RTV and DoSomething have demonstrated an intuitive understanding of how to use words to activate emotions, a critical factor in motivating any person in any demographic (Westen, pg. 258).

For RTV, their target audience are young adults who are learning to be more responsible and authoritative in their actions. Therefore, words/phrases like build, incite, leverage, step up, and tell it like it is, give them the feeling they have the power to personally take action, have more control over their uncertain

Motivating Net-Genners - 7 futures, and even stir things up to satisfy their rebellious juices if necessary. On the RTV site, of course, they also use explicit language and sexual innuendos to attract the attention of their young adult demo.

DoSomething also speaks directly to their younger audience with phrases like generation of doers, believe in their ability and convert your ideas and energy. The younger end of the 14 to 24-year-old demo is particular vulnerable to feeling powerless, and these words help motivate them to take more control of their destiny by using their powerful voice.

As Aria Finger, Chief Marketing Officer of DoSomething.org, says, ―We let teens decide what to do, letting them choose and lead on their own. Many people don‘t give teens a lot of credit, and few trust teens to let them lead. DoSomething believes in them and uses them as trusted resources for advice. We help them believe they can truly do something that will make a difference.‖ IF YOU DON’T FEEL IT, DON’T USE IT George Lakoff, author of The Political Mind (2008), says, ―Framing is about thought, about how you conceptualize a situation.‖ (pg. 225). That‘s why the key words and phrases used by these two organizations have been carefully shaped so that the positions being presented generate an immediate emotional response.

Dave Westen (pg. 267) supports Lakoff‘s concept, stating that each organization must ―carefully select their frames, words, analogies, and imagery and that they understand branding.‖ Even both of the organization‘s names—Rock the Vote and DoSomething.org—and the powerful signifying words in their mission statements evoke emotional analogies that activate important brand messages critical to encouraging youth to engage in social change.

Framing constructs emotional motivators that aren‘t always obvious. For example, using some of the DoSomething key words, the framing of Convert Your Ideas and Energy = Empowerment = Positive Action = User‘s Ability to Be A Part of a Generation of Doers = Personal Satisfaction, Recognition and Good Reputation.

The analogy that using their energy will result in personal reward is a subtle but effective motivator for kids in their younger target age group.

Freedom is another important motivator. Young adults (and DoSomething adolescents as well) want the freedom to choose what they feel is right or wrong for them. If youth feel they are at risk of losing their freedom to make choices for themselves, they will pursue avenues that will undo the shackles that are keeping them from being free. The tools and information provided by both RTV and DoSomething help them achieve those goals in a comprehensive, easy and accessible manner.

The loss of freedom of choice with government can activate also important metaphors. For example, if you apply the appropriate metaphors to what would happen if there is a pay hike for education, it would look something like this:

Motivating Net-Genners - 8 AFFLICTION: FEE HIKE CAUSES PAIN: Stopping a pay hike makes it possible for our freedom—freedom from, in the case of protection and freedom to, in the case of ability to get an education (pg.

237). Affliction causes pain: Money earned by taxpayers should rightly belong to them, but it is taken from taxpayers without their freedom of choice by the government. The metaphor is Financial Loss is Pain, and Pain has to be in a frame in which Affliction Causes Pain.

Cause of affliction:

Proponents of raising cost of education

Reliever:

Youth Opponents of higher costs

Relief (result):

No fee hike

Reward:

Improved education opportunities for all Americans and praise for allowing continued education for those less able to afford it

Punishment:

The money has to come from somewhere to balance the budget. Government will have to find another place to take the financial loss to meet budget goals RECIPROCAL ALTRUISM

As Westen says, ―every time campaign strategists craft an appeal, they should be thinking about what they want voters to feel after hearing or seeing it. Campaign messages should inform voters, but they should inform their hearts as well as their minds.‖ (pg. 257).

This idea has not been lost on RTV or DoSomething. Since youth typically have fewer life skills and experience, adults are often reluctant to sanction them with too much responsibility. This can leave youth feeling powerless, so when organizations like RTV and DoSomething empower them with the information they need, plus the tools to do it with; both reason and emotion are well served. The reward of taking a situation into their own hands activates strong links to self-esteem, self-interest and altruistic feelings.

George Lakoff refers to this reward as, ―Reciprocal altruism—the trading of favors; it is in my interest to serve your interests in a society where that is the norm.‖ Taking it a step further, Lakoff cites evolutionary psychologist, Scott Pinker, who explains why we have evolved social and moralistic emotions regarding selfinterest: ―Sympathy and trust prompt people to extend the first favor. Gratitude and loyalty prompt them to repay favors. Guilt and shame deter them from hurting or failing to repay others. Anger and contempt prompt them to avoid or punish cheaters. And because these emotions can be communicated via language, reputation is important. The motivator is always self-interest.‖ (pg. 204).

BRACE FOR EMOTIONAL IMPACT Risk aversion is also an important motivator. Through effective imagery, words and associations, the information each site provides can effectively demonstrate that if action isn’t taken, great risks and consequences could be involved. (Westen, pg. 229). Language throughout the RTV‘s site implies that if something isn‘t done about important issues such as Healthcare Reform or Education Fee Hikes, youth could be in danger of losing something that may be very valuable to them.

Motivating Net-Genners - 9 The DoSomething site demonstrates that there are many people in the world that are at risk, and that in some cases (i.e. Cyberbullying), even they too could be negatively impacted if action isn‘t taken. Furthermore, since frames ―influence not only what people think and feel about an issue but what they don‘t think about,‖ (Westen, pg. 264), it is critical that the information provided on these sites is accessible, accurate and enlightening.

Rock The Vote‘s messages always present a problem, a solution and a way to take action and get engaged. Whether a person agrees with their concerns and solutions is their choice, but at least that have options. Since most of the news that youth obtain are from websites or their friends, RTV takes the responsibility of providing them with the most up-to-date information.

Younger kids are even less informed. Adolescents are still in the midst of forming their own identities, and ―are influenced by such things as situational circumstances, levels of stress and previous experience and competence.‖ They are still striving for ―recognition, admiration, respect and thanks as well as a desire to see progress.‖ (Schondel & Boehm, 2000).

DoSomething.org recognizes these needs and they constantly reinforce the idea that by helping others, they are also helping themselves in all of these areas of emotional needs. Participants in social action are rewarded by earning grants and project funding for their social projects, by being eligible for prestigious DoSomething Awards, and getting recognition for their success through postings on the DoSomething site.

PRINCIPLED STAND ―Successful campaigns build on a strong party brand defined by core values, address conflicts within and between voters, offer principled stands on issues that matter to voters, attend to both conscious and unconscious values and attitudes, activate and inhibit networks associated with positive and negative emotions, and perhaps most importantly, speak the truth to voters in a way that is emotionally compelling,‖ says Westen (pg. 257).

Both Rock The Vote and DoSomething operate from this perspective. RTV presents clear implications for policy and makes sure the issues they are addressing are relevant to their target audience concerns, such as curbing the rising costs of education, healthcare reform and environmental protection. RTV wants to be loud, direct and accessible to get the attention of passive or previously non-participating activists, but at what cost? It is possible that the RTV site subliminally (and possibly inadvertently) blocks some 18 to 29-year-olds who strong conservatives, are staunchly religious, or young women who are morally uncomfortable (consciously or subconsciously) with the explicit language and sexuality in some of the messages. At the very least, it activates (or inhibits) networks associated with positive and negative emotions.

As for DoSomething.org, one of their strength activators relies heavily upon visuals and graphics to support their messaging. For example, in the section on violence and bullying, there are multiple listings of information that can be found on a variety of violence/bullying issues, including Child Abuse, Cyber Bullying,

Motivating Net-Genners - 10 Dating Abuse and more. Each topic is supported by a compelling photograph, such as the cold hard viewpoint down the barrel of a gun (Gun Control) or a knife in an apple for School Violence. Their principled stands are further supported by click-throughs to each cause.

Testimonials, videos of affirmation of negative or positive positioning statements about a cause, and blogs with real voices of real end users help provide credibility of what is being proposed. RTV does this effectively in several ways.

For example, prominent on the page regarding fee hikes for higher education is the headline ―Damn, College is Expensive‖ (which may or may not strengthen the credibility of the user, or perhaps strengthen the relatability/street cred factor) and an accompanying video of Obama supporting higher education in America.

This provides a creation of networks that join words (including ―Damn‖ which links to the idea of ―Adulthood‖ and power, both important validations for the 18-29 crowd), images (freeze frame of Obama video with headline ―Obama to Revamp Student Loans‖) and sounds through Obama‘s edited video support of higher education.

Using Obama‘s video also makes the information feel like they are supported by Americans everywhere and is a ―natural extension of the story of the nation and its principles.‖ (Westen, pg. 165).

As Westen says, ―The more neural ‗tracks‘ a message activates throughout the brain—through words, images, introduction and music, all of which activate neural circuits—the more evocative and memorable it is likely to be. And perhaps most importantly, the richer, more sensory-based the neural tracks, the more likely they are to create and activate emotional associations.” (pg. 273) DoSomething executes this well by zealously connecting words, images and sounds to inspire younger adolescents to get involved in social activism. This is particularly important to impressionable younger kids whose opinions, identities and beliefs are still being formed and eventually solidified. The more information that can be told through words, sights and sounds, the more memorable impact it will have.

POP CULTURE Both Rock The Vote and DoSomething utilize famous pop culture icons and celebrities to help connect with their audiences.

For Rock The Vote, it was a natural association. Says Martin Cloonan and John Street in their 1998 article in Politics magazine, ―All you have to see is the Kennedy 1960 campaign song ‗High Hopes,‘ written especially for him, to see the good relationship between popular song and what we expected in a President.‖ In the 1960s, music was a powerful force in connecting—and disconnecting (i.e. rebelling)—with the political times. In the 1970s, music was used for political activism through events like Rock Against Racism.

Then came Live Aid in 1985, which made it respectable to marry music with politics, extending beyond ―traditional generational confines into main stream entertainment.‖ (Cloonan & Street, pg. 35).

Motivating Net-Genners - 11 This was followed by birth of Rock The Vote in 1990, when the cable rock channel MTV partnered with Rock The Vote to get younger voters to get out and vote. They sent street teams out to rock concerts and comedian performances, sent out flyers, and used television and pop stars as vehicles to reach their target audience. As they got closer to election dates, they ramped up their efforts. As a case in point, according to Associated Content journalist Greg Brian, ―a lot of first time voters voted for Clinton, thanks to his ability to connect with the MTV generation,‖ a campaign that was surely enhanced by RTV in the ‗90s.

DoSomething (and RTV) also leverage celebrity endorsements for PSAs, public relations efforts and positive brand associations. This year, DoSomething worked in tandem with music cable channel VH1 to produce a one hour special, ―Celebs Gone Good.‖ The campaign included having DoSomething.org members narrow down the top 100 celebrity do-gooders to 20, and included the headline ―It‘s not who you‘re wearing, it‘s what you‘re doing‖ in its pitch.

An entire active section on their website entitled, ―Celebs Gone Good‖ touts support by celebs including Stephen King (Supporting the Troops), Snoop Dogg (Snoop Youth Football League), Alyssa Milano (Charity: Water), Kelly Clarkson (Tide Loads of Hope) and Miley Sirus (Save the Children) just to name a few.

Why the fascination? The allure in politics is obvious. As stated in Cloonan & Street‘s Politics article, ―Attaching to popular culture embodies a notion of ‗popularity‘ to which many politicians are attracted.

Politicians and parties crave the way in which performers make themselves popular and capture the public‘s imagination.‖ According to DoSomething‘s Aria Finger, however, the celebrities are not the main attraction or focus for kids seeking to do social good. They are a mere extension of the messaging, providing positive role models for teens and young adolescents. It makes social activism look hip and trendy. If it is cool enough for Taylor Swift (who donated money to charity on her birthday), it is cool enough to them.

One of the latest and more memorable celebrity associations is from the RTV support of Christina Aquilera, who in print and in a PSA video is seen cradling her son in an American flag as she sweetly sings ―America the Beautiful‖ in lullaby fashion to him, ending with her final message: ―It‘s Time to Make History, It‘s Time to Vote.‖ There is always concern that wedding pop culture celebrities with politicians and social issues is a trivialization of democracy and that ―form will take precedence over content and appearance over reality.‖ In the eyes of some, however, they ―see it as increasing the quality of democracy.‖ (Coonan & Street, pg. 36), Others may find that blending marketing skills and pressure group politics make for a dubious stew of the laudable and the tawdry, and question the potential shrewd motives are to strictly benefit from the combination of social conscience and good publicity.

Nevertheless, choosing the right associations is critical, for if you don‘t, it can backfire quickly.

Remember when Ronald Reagan cheered on Bruce Springsteen when "Born in the U.S.A‖ came out to create an

Motivating Net-Genners - 12 association between patriotic rock star and the much-older President? Although Springsteen was gracious, Reagan later discovered Springsteen was a faithful liberal, resulting in not-so-positive publicity. Imagine if Tiger was backing a major issue right now and you had him as a sponsor!

CORPORATE INFLUENCE Every cause needs a sponsor and every politician a contributor, so it is only natural RTV and DoSomething business sponsors are companies seeking connectivity with a targeted youth audience. That‘s why ―partners‖ (as RTV calls them) like VH1, MTV, Tilly‘s, Hot Topics and AT&T contribute to their cause.

DoSomething‘s list of ―Sponsors that Rock‖ also attracts a young demo, including Staples, Doritos, Dunkin‘ Donuts, Baskin Robbins, JetBlue, Pepsi, Best Buy, and Channel 1 Network. Sometimes it is through trade-outs of gifting for promotions (phones, coupons, flights, etc.) and sometimes it is straight cash donations. Either way, both benefit from each other‘s powerful brand association and its dual link to a hard-to-reach, always on the go youth market. Sometimes this can be tricky as it could be construed as exploitative propaganda skillfully crafted by advertisings executives and film directors. As long as it is done discreetly as with both RTV and DoSomething, it appears to be no harm, no foul. ―SOCIAL-CHANGE WORK LOOKS SIMPLE.‖ – ALLISON FINE Unfortunately, social-change is rarely simple—or fast. However, thanks to the wonders of the digital age, easy access to information and the use of social media activism can simplify the process and result in powerful and even swift social change. Regardless of age or race, or their position inside or outside of an organization, social media activism encourages people to participate in decisions and actions. It also offers simultaneous connection ―between, among, and by many people at the time of their choosing, [and helps] facilitate connected activism.‖ Campaigns continue to be baffled about how to effective reach and motivate youth to take person action by getting involved in issues that affect us all, and in some cases, affect them even more because it will impact their future and the future of the next generations.

Leaps and bounds have been made since the information age collided with the Rock the Vote campaign, and particularly as SNS has taken off in the last decade. Kids have choices and voices today and are learning to use the tools necessary to embrace the power of their influence. Voter participation hit its lowest point in 2000, but according to a recent report, ―Turnout by Education, Race and Gender and Other 2008 Youth Voting Statistics,‖ by the organization Circle, an estimated 23 million young Americans under the age of 30 voted in the 2008 presidential election, 3.4 million more voters as compared to the 2004. CIRCLE estimated youth voter turnout rose to between 52 percent and 53 percent, an increase of four to five percentage points. Compared to 2000, the increase in youth turnout is at least 11 percentage points.

Motivating Net-Genners - 13 CONCLUSION With the first election in decades behind us where candidates aggressively pursued the youth vote, it is no wonder there were over three million more voters than before, and it is only going to increase as the NetGenners continue to mature.

Both Rock the Vote and DoSomething have invested heavily in their research to find out what their fickle, ever-changing youth demo wants to know, is willing to listen to, and most importantly is willing to do.

Both have been successful and continue to grow. I respect RTV‘s desire to remain as neutral as possible while still meeting the concerns of its audience, but it is not easy to remain authoritative and still impartial on certain issues when offering information and guidance. Also, perhaps they are targeting young males more diligently because they are harder to reach, but just because they hit things loud and hard doesn‘t mean that it will engage the wider net they may desire if they want to hit their projected number increases.

As for DoSomething, it is a highly effective organization that genuinely understands, inspires and caters to their audience well. They are clearly for the kids, by the kids and with the kids, giving them all the tools they need to start down a long and healthy trail of contributing to positive social change.

There will always be windows of opportunities to taint the messaging to youth for the sake of personal gain, notoriety or profit. However, as kids get more involved with social change through digital community involvement, they will hopefully become more savvy and less willing to be duped by pop culture or capitalistic persuasion.

Socio-Economic circumstances may prevent many kids from gaining access and interaction on SNS destinations, but that shouldn‘t stop the diligent efforts of creating social change with those who do. Their naïve fearless and boundless energy can be harnessed in a way that can have an incredible on their world, their future and all of our lives.

Kids are not the only valuable energy supply. In the words of Allison Fine, ―Social networks are the perfect renewable energy source. A power grid loses overall potency the farther it spreads. The more connections and the broader the network, the more energy it takes to fuel the overall grid. A social network is just the opposite: The more widely flung it is, the more powerful and resilient it becomes.‖ Moving forward, it is my hope that valuable, longstanding organizations like American Red Cross, Salvation Army and other local, national and global outreach outlets will take advantage of this concept and treat social media interaction as a powerful added value to their efforts, and not a resource drain.

Motivating Net-Genners - 14 References Fine, A. (2006). Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lakoff, G. (2008). The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18thCentury Brain. New York: Viking Adult.

Westen, D. (2007). The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. New York: PublicAffairs.

Rock the Vote (2009). Rock The Vote. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.rockthevote.com DoSomething.org (2009). DoSomething,org. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.dosomething.org Catholic Charities Home Page. (2009, December 1). Catholic Charities USA, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1174 American Red Cross About Us. (2009, December 1). American Red Cross Home Page, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=477 859f392ce8110VgnVCM10000030f3870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default Los Angeles Mission Statement of Faith. (2009, December 1). Los Angeles Mission. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://losangelesmission.org/AboutUs/MissionStatementStatementofFaith.aspx Jones, S., & Fox, S. (2009). Generations Online in 2009. Pew Resarch Center, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.pewinternet.org/Infographics/Generational-differences-in-online-activities.aspx Keeter, S., & Taylor, P. (2009). The Millennials. Pew Research Center, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1437/millennials-profile Cloonan, M., & Street, J. (1998, Summer). Rock the Vote: popular culture and politics. Politics, 18(1), 33-38.

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Motivating Net-Genners - 15 WWW.ROCKTHEVOTE.COM – HOME PAGE

WWW.ROCKTHEVOTE.COM – WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR HEATH CARE? Uses explicit language and sexual innuendos to grab the attention of young adults

Motivating Net-Genners - 16 www.dosomething.com screen grab of home page

DoSomething.org‘s Violence and Bullying page

American Idol‘s Kelly Clarkson Supporting Tide Loads of Hope