To be, or not to be … online.
To be or not to be…
…online - that is the question.
We cannot rely on social media and online spaces alone for our information, connection, and action. At this moment, we know that there are right wing bots, armchair experts, and shady algorithms that promote not just misogyny and white supremacy, but also anti-democratic sentiment and disinformation.
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk were not elected, but seem to have a larger influence on our government systems than is appropriate or normal. We know their interests lie in their corporate gain, as is with most of Trump’s appointed cabinet of grifters and abusers, but we do not know all of the levers they have access to the levers that create our culture online and offline.
So, where do we go from here?
As an organization that seeks to fight authoritarianism, violence, and misogyny, the predicament is that whether or not we care about Tik Tok, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) or Bluesky, those spaces are the stages on which people receive cultural cues. The average person continues to consume media on these platforms, regardless of transparency or control over what type of content they will be shown. We know that our posts are meant to be buried. At the same time, if we do not participate in creating content, harmful content still proliferates unopposed, and we lose connection with our communities.
We hold these complexities and struggle with how to promote quality resources and engagement for our beloved communities… which means we will probably continue to post (for now) to Meta, but at a reduced rate.
While we grapple with these issues, here’s what we can do:
Grow an audience outside of anti-democratic companies. We have launched a Bluesky account at mainewomenslobby.bsky.social. (We eliminated our Twitter/X account when it transitioned to X).
Share more of our content on our website and through email. Did you know that around 2,000 people read our Legislative Round-Up every Monday, including lots of lobbyists, legislators, and journalists? There’s good stuff over there, we promise.
Host more relationship-centered and human-focused opportunities for connection. This includes events like our monthly Sip n Share, Gender Justice Day at the State House, advocacy skills builders, and more.
And here’s what you can do:
Simply sharing our work, engaging with it, and forwarding blog and email posts helps us build (and replace) our community.
Avoid engaging in content that is purposefully false, misleading, or harmful. When people engage in fights on social media, those posts that are most dangerous are amplified more than those with less evocative, but important information. Resisting the urge to further the views of content that is meant to enrage us is paramount to our democracy.
Adjusting your own social media consumption to levels that you deem healthy for yourself.
Find ways to connect in more human-centered and relational formats (like coming to our monthly Sip n’ Shares or hosting a coffee hour to learn more about feminist policy!).
And we continue to want to learn from you about the ways you want to hear from us. Thanks, community.
— Dania
