Evidence-informed memes: translating research into social media content for the masses

Summary

This talk will follow the Equality Institute (EQI)'s journey of building a social media following from scratch to create a renowned brand with viral memes reaching an audience of over 3 million people. The talk will delve into their unique design process of turning evidence-based research into engaging, funny and positive memes which speak to, and captivate everyday people across the globe who would otherwise not be able to access the latest research on the prevention of violence against women and girls. The secret to this design process is simple: upskilling designers to be knowledgeable and immersed in the latest research in the field. The talk will show how content starts out as a social media post & ends up transforming peoples' ideas & attitudes surrounding issues such as gender equality, violence against women, intersectional feminism, self-love and climate justice. From one Pacific Islander man attending a workshop on gender roles in his community, who took the facilitator aside to express thanks for showing him what masculinity could look like, to the survivors of violence who express gratitude for sharing insights into what they're experiencing. Yet with such work comes the challenges: from learning what types of content resonate with audiences across social media, to the bombardment of violent and relentless messages from trolls, and the mistakes that are made which demonstrate that impact always supercedes intent. It's been a wild ride, in only three short years, and the EQI is ready to share it with you.

Background/Objectives:

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a pervasive, global challenge that requires not only urgent attention, but creative solutions to ending it once and for all. Evidence suggests prevention strategies related to social behavior change are the most effective strategies for stopping VAWG before it starts. One major challenge faced by the field of violence prevention is the inability to communicate effectively outside of the field what the latest research & knowledge is. The EQI aims to change that, using a holistic approach that calls for the inclusion of every person at every level of society.

Description Of The Big Idea/experience/innovation And Its Importance To The SBCC Field:

The EQI is a research & creatives agency which uses their unique approach to SBCC to create change in the field of violence prevention and gender equality. Not only does their approach work to catalyse social norm change, it also allows an audience access to the latest research in this field which they would otherwise find inaccessible. The secret to this design process is simple: upskilling designers to be knowledgeable and immersed in the latest research in the field. This ensures that the research & communications/design teams are not siloed, but work together to create evidence-informed outcomes which speak to different audiences. This holistic approach means that the designer working on creating social media content understands: the nuances of issues such as gender and violence; the latest research on the issue of what works to prevent violence against women; what language to use that is not only accessible to varied audiences but also unambiguous and informative; and how to turn academic papers into something that everyday folk relate to, engage with and are influenced by. This approach can be utilized by others in a wide range of fields and has the potential to catalyse social change across the globe!

Discussion/Implications For The Field:

By sharing their experience & knowledge, the EQI aim to showcase how their approach to SBCC has the potential to catalyse change in regards to gender equality & ending violence against women and girls. The talk will illustrate practical lessons that others can implement in their own work for social behavior change. At the moment the EQI has just one person dedicated to this method - the potential for up-scaling and upskilling full of excitment and hope!

Abstract submitted by:

Scarlett Thorby-Lister - The Equality Institute (EQI)