why movement organizations should be wary of over-reliance of facebook

2017
white paper in progress

It is of growing concern to me over the past 10 years, with half a foot in digital orgazning, how movement organizations and individuals in the movement often consider Facebook the only primary platform for “reaching out to young people online”, build an entire workflow over facebook (taking event signups, petitions or the like exclusively on facebook) and consider the alternatives unthinkable, simply because “everyone uses facebook”. Yes, Walmart has the lowest prices and “everyone” shops there, but why do we consider relying on Walmart to purchase daily needs of movement organizations a harmful choice in the long term?

In the next months I set out to build a document overviewing the case for diversifying online platforms and boycotting Facebook in key areas where Facebook is leading a geonocide to the free, open and creative internet. The document in development is freely available for editing. I don’t expect a rush of contributors to the document, but feel free to add tidbits, or even just drop links to previous/existing similar attempts.