Democratic actors need to understand that almost all of the reach they’re getting – both paid and organic – is only with the people that agree with them already.

This is a new-media literacy issue.

Right now there’s too much focus on our opponents cheating and manipulating. That’s an issue which blinds our sector to the real problem and prevents us from creating effective responses.

𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘄𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲.

The real problem is the vision our opponents present. All we see from the outside is the racism and thuggery. But for the people they’re aiming for, the vision they’re presenting is a promise of a better future - a vision that solves the economic and status issues they’ve been struggling with for decades.

Our opponents are actively expanding their audiences with this vision, while ours just continue to shrink.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

The big insight that the civil sector needs to integrate into its strategy is that algorithmic distribution works to connect companies with the consumers most predisposed to buy their products.

The idea of media flowing to information seekers and enlightening people who weren’t previously enlightened is hopelessly out of date.

Algorithms run on advertising logic, pure and simple. That’s not going to change because it drives the economy.

But if we take that as our new point of departure and work with it, suddenly media becomes about winning new eyeballs – not just the ones who like you already.

That becomes possible when we integrate user motivation and user experience design into strategy too.

We can design strategy to expand support with the maximum optimal audiences (instead of the niches who like us already) by rethinking our targeting. 𝗪𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀’ 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱.

This is what our opponents have figured out. It’s a big part of why they are winning.

It’s so blindingly obvious - it’s how democracy works, isn’t it?