Inspired by a safety feature on Facebook, the web-based Black Lives Matter app was a sobering response to being black in America. The original function allows people to inform their friends on Facebook that they are safe in the event of a natural disaster, terrorist attack or similar catastrophe. Created by ad agency J. Walter Thompson New York for the advocacy organization, 'Unsafety Check' was a way "to let the world know how you feel, to come together and resist."
Designed as part of a week of action that took place between Martin Luther King Day and the presidential inauguration, the initiative allowed American social media users to mark themselves unsafe. Allies who haven't experienced being black in America could also mark themselves unsafe to show their support.
Anti-Discrimination Advocacy Apps
BLM Created Unsafety Check to Support Being Black in America
Trend Themes
1. Social Media-based Safety Check - Businesses could develop a social media-based safety check feature for their customers, allowing them to inform friends and family of their safety in real time during crisis situations.
2. Activist Advocacy Apps - There is an opportunity to enhance the impact of advocacy organizations by creating custom web or mobile apps that allow individuals to participate in activism events and share their support online.
3. Crowdsourced Resistance Communities - Businesses could create online communities that allow users who feel unsafe or marginalized to come together and support one another in organizing and participating in collective resistance efforts.
Industry Implications
1. Technology - Tech companies can develop cutting-edge safety features for social media to support activism and protect vulnerable communities.
2. Marketing and Advertising - Marketing agencies can leverage their skillset to partner with advocacy organizations and create impactful campaigns that support marginalized communities.
3. Non-profit - Non-profit organizations can utilize technology and innovation to spark meaningful social change and gather support for their causes.