Survival Guide for the Introverted Activist

So you want to become an activist? You’ve got ideas, passion, and energy. You want to dive into the scene and make a difference. Great!

There’s just one problem: you’re an introvert. You’re the protagonist in Bocchi The Rock! who dreams of becoming a rock star yet cannot play on a stage without hiding under a giant mango cardboard box. And the world of activism is a hostile jungle.

Fear not! I’m extremely introverted myself, and that didn’t stop me from rattling the cage and promoting rallies. If I can do it, so can you. Hang on, and I’ll show you how to navigate this world without making rookie mistakes.

It’s a jungle out there!

First of all, introverted doesn’t mean shy. I know, we introverts are self-conscious so there’s not much of a difference at first glance, but ride with me for a second. Repeat it as often as you need to: introverted doesn’t mean shy.

If self-consciousness drives you to paralysis, kill it. Because you can’t be self-conscious while protesting. You want to know my trick? Every time you feel that way, look at yourself from a third-party perspective. Look at that doofus right below who’s just standing there hesitating to engage with people. This way that self-consciousness thing works in your favour by spurring you to action.

Perhaps you still think you can’t make it because you’re terrible at making friends. That’s just fine. You’re not out there to make friends but allies. You don’t have to like the people you’re engaging with, and they don’t have to like you either. Brace yourself, collaboration is not always going to work. Sometimes you’ll walk. Sometimes you’ll be shown the door. That too is just fine. Don’t take it personal if possible, and try not to close doors if an approach fails; people who shun each other today might still work together tomorrow.

And if a bit of self-deprecation works for you, go ahead. Not taking oneself too seriously is the best way to mitigate reputation damage.

The social media monster

Social media can be intimidating because of the ‘social’ part. It’s that worldwide worm box cram full of losers posting celebrity memes and barking that Trump won the 2022 election. I know, you’d much rather read a book than mingle.

But it doesn’t have to be this bad of an experience. After all, introverts prefer communicating in writing, so social media are actually the ideal playground for introverted activists. Think of every time you wished you could unleash your inner self and answer someone’s ranting via email rather than suffering their vitriol face to face. With social media, you can be that persona. You can become Daria when she’s pissed off.

If you must pick just one platform, go with Facebook, because it’s the most versatile of them. It not only does text posts but also hosts pictures, videos, events, and whatnot, including tons of features you will never need, like stupid Zynga games.

You have basically three ways to build a platform on Facebook. The first one is straight from your personal account, which is fantastic for an extroverted person but probably not for you. The second one is to start a group, which once again may not be your thing. The third one, which is ideal for introverts, is to start a page instead, which offers greater editorial control; think of an activist concept and build your page around it.

You’re done? Great! Except you’re not done at all; now you need to engage with people. On Facebook that means joining groups. Oh, and that means posting in groups too. Don’t just stand there in a corner hoping people will magically come across your page and engage with you, go to them instead. And don’t be afraid to post in their group, and post often at that. No, you’re not spamming them, as long as you meet their community guidelines; in fact, keep sharing quality material and other group members may start following you. That’s how it works.

Another platform popular with activists is Twitter. But it’s not for everyone, and brace yourself: whereas Facebook is pretty much a family-friendly playground, Twitter in contrast is a troll’s paradise where just about anything goes—except mocking Elon Musk, and then only if you’re too popular to evade notice.

Unlike Facebook, Twitter only has plain feeds, nothing like groups and pages. But it’s okay to use your Facebook page’s name for your Twitter profile, although you may find it easier to engage with other users by displaying your real name.

Another fundamental difference is Twitter’s pace. It’s meant for posting on the spur of the moment, which makes it excellent for reporting incidents on the ground, for example. Save refinement for your Facebook page; on Twitter, everything is raw, and threads unfold in a matter of minutes or hours. Really, don’t overthink your posts, just take a snapshot of whatever you mean to elicit outrage with and press that ‘Tweet’ button already. Oh, and the character limit is 280 (yikes!) so get used to posting in telegraphic bursts of slang words instead of proper prose.

One last tip, applicable to both platforms: follow as many fellow activists you have common ground with, ‘like’ their posts, comment on them, and share them. Every time you do, they get a notification, and they of course take notice of you; eventually they may follow you back. No, you’re not harassing them, and you’re not stealing their posts either. That’s how social media work. And don’t worry too much about your own number of followers, or lack thereof; what matters isn’t having many followers, but influential ones. You’d be amazed how simple it is to have notable advocates and organisations follow you back and share your posts in turn.

Zoom meetings

But you can’t become an activist by just sitting behind a keyboard typing stuff (unless you’re a hacktivist, of course). Sooner or later you’ll have to—oh my God—show your face to people. In a group context. And even talk to them.

In other words, you’ll have to conquer Zoom. Because that’s where the plotting starts.

Before anything else, you may feel more apprehensive toward approaching groups this way, wondering whether you even belong. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine; I’m with Moms Stop The Harm, and I’m not a mom. Any activist group should welcome those who support their cause, whether or not one belongs to their core demographic group; as for the rare few who don’t (it’s never happened to me), avoid them like the plague. So really, don’t be afraid to show your face and speak up.

So, if you’re attending a Zoom meeting, here’s the protocol. Unless you’re joining a webinar (a one-way presentation), you’re expected to join with your video on and audio off, such that other participants can see you but not hear you. Eventually you’ll have to speak to them, in which case you need to unmute yourself for the duration of the intervention, but users are otherwise expected to keep themselves muted in order to avoid slurping sounds to interrupt the current speaker whenever one of 40 participants sips their coffee. It is also customary to ‘raise your hand’ (it’s one of these ‘reactions’ hiding among smileys) instead of interrupting the presenter, at least for any sizeable a meeting.

And then there are these breakout rooms, which are particularly popular among environmentalists. Basically, at some time during the meeting the participants may be broken down into small groups in order to exchange ideas. While one may just watch a Zoom meeting, in breakout rooms one is expected to speak, so join a meeting having prepared some lines to get yourself out of trouble. If you’re new to a group or cause and you must talk, even though you lack confidence, don’t be afraid to just say so: I’m sorry, I’m new and still learning. Nobody is going to mock you for it.

Meeting activists on the ground

Activism is a lot like dating. You can stick to dating sites for a while, but you won’t get laid until you meet prospective partners in person. No, ‘cyber sex’ doesn’t count.

While online meetings are usually broadly advertised on social media, actual gatherings spread mostly by invitation and through signs on street poles across town. So unless you already belong to some network (like all these extroverts, damn them), you’ll have to dig up these meetings and invite yourself. Don’t be shy, if it’s advertised on street poles that means everyone who walks shady alleys is welcome.

You may feel even less comfortable meeting with activists while lacking a protective barrier like Zoom, but there isn’t much of a difference in practice, except of course a fundamental one: many fellow activists will not trust someone they have never met face to face. So you have to make the jump.

You’re more likely to be expected to introduce yourself and share your opinion in a live meeting than on Zoom. Don’t be so nervous. Activist meetings routinely welcome newcomers, and you’ll find from their introduction (or lack thereof) that they’re no more special than you. If in contrast you’re being squeezed for information or justification (it’s rarely happened to me), it may be best to walk.

While it is common for a Zoom meeting to be recorded, doing so in an actual gathering is taboo. Attendees expect what’s said in the meeting to stay there, and often the discussion is so sensitive (or even prejudicial) that even mentioning the meeting outside of context is verboten. Treat fellow participants as co-conspirators, even if the mood is friendly and the topic benign. And avoid asking personal questions; the less you know about them, the less you can leak.

If you want a clearer idea how such a meetup can unfold, I’ve written such an account in the past. I have to admit even a vaguely worded article like this, building largely on publicly disclosed information, known to law enforcement, can be crossing the line for some groups, which value secrecy over publicity, so I don’t make a habit of writing insider peeks like this. Many participants fear retaliation to the point of paranoia and will not trust a newcomer with a loose tongue.

So really, treat meeting fellow activists like sex, with all the discretion and innuendo that comes with it.

Solicitation and canvassing

Sounds terrifying? That’s nothing; at this stage you’re still a closet activist. Eventually you’ll have to come out of the closet and approach people who aren’t fellow activists. If you’re promoting a platform, or even a rally, you may end up distributing leaflets on the streets, for example.

This may be the part that introverts fear the most, but it doesn’t have to be this bad. In fact, if you stress out about it, you’ll just scuttle yourself. I won’t give you any ‘tips’ to approach strangers with flyers because they’re all bad: just be direct. I’ve been approached by quite a few activists lacking confidence with a self-defeating strategy, may it be a terrible joke or a roundabout introduction, and even I am put off by them and walk. If you’re handing over something, just say what it is in one short sentence, or even better, let the writing do the talking if possible.

Interested people may have questions for you. If you’ve done your homework, you already know the answers. Come prepared with lines to deliver your product and rebut common objections. If you stumble, that’s just fine, nothing wrong with asking for a second to recompose yourself. Don’t worry too much about being judged over your performance; you can bet the other person wished they were brave enough to do what you’re doing.

Still not confident? Solicitation is often done in pairs, or even groups, so you may tag along with a veteran (or even a fellow newbie). Strangely, even the introvert may appreciate having some backing here, especially from someone with experience. And in turn you may end up being the bulwark of a petrified noob some day on their first dive. Nothing worth fretting about.

Protest etiquette

Introverts hate crowds. But sooner or later you’ll be attending rallies. You’ll be promoting rallies. You’ll be holding signs and shouting rallying cries. You may even give a speech or performance in front of a mob. There’s no avoiding it. Brace yourself.

But once again it doesn’t have to be such a bad experience, if you come prepared. For starters, most protests are peaceful and well-received, while most protesters and passersby are well-behaved. Crowds tend to be receptive to messages for a good cause. No, you won’t look ridiculous because you’re brandishing a sign walking down Main Street with a small troupe of protesters. Bystanders may take your picture (especially tourists) but that’s because they think it’s cool. In any case, remember that you can’t be self-conscious while protesting, so kill it and wear that purple shirt like it’s avantgarde fashion.

Taking pictures and video at a rally is usually welcome and makes for wonderful promotional material, although remember that protesters may face retribution for their activism and some may object; if they do, politely comply, even if you think it’s silly because the event unfolds in a public place. In doubt, just ask, and nearly everyone you approach will gladly pose for you, proudly displaying their sign or banner. As a blogger, I get almost no declines or takedown requests.

The media may show up. Unless you’re an organiser you’re unlikely to be approached for an interview, but you should have lines ready in case you’re invited to comment. And of course you may end up on 6 o’clock news, if only visible in the background while holding a sign. Don’t worry about acquaintances recognising you; they’re probably say you looked cool and wished they were shown on TV. Serious.

I’ve never had to give a speech at a protest, but I’ve witnessed quite a few fellow introverts do so. Maybe you think you can’t. Maybe you think people will laugh if you stumble. You’re going to change your mind as you watch fellow activists address crowds. Some of them aren’t naturals. Some can only read straight from the page with shaky hands, unable to take their stare off their lines. Some of them stammer, recompose themselves, and move on. Did it make you laugh? I bet not; you instead wished you were brave enough to do it. Well, you’re going to be in their shoes sooner or later, and your fellows in turn will wish they were brave enough to do it.

Of course not everything may unfold smoothly. Some people may be hostile. Avoid confronting them. Most of them will walk if you just let them bark for a bit, so take it stoically. Arguing with the worst of them is a bad idea, so your best strategy is just to let them embarrass themselves. Recording a hostile encounter is a risky strategy (because of the threat of escalation) but it can send some of them walking while giving you viral material for your YouTube channel.

On rare occasions there may be counterprotesters. Altercations almost never happen, so keep your distances and everything should be fine. In fact, a relatively small mob of counterprotesters can make your own group look more imposing (and theirs ridiculous) so once again avoid confronting them, that’s what they want.

You may worry about security and law enforcement butting in. It almost never happens, even at unsanctioned rallies. Police officers may tag along and keep a very close eye on you, however, especially if you’re hanging with environmentalists displaying their criminal record like a badge of honour. Leave the officers alone and they’ll usually do no worse than take your picture. And believe it or not, some of them take your picture on their personal cell phone because they think you’re cool, no kidding. I’ve documented a protest with as many police officers and security guards as participants and everything went smoothly. In any case, it’s considered common sense not to talk to the police, even if officers engage you, so in doubt, ignore them.

Well, that was it. You survived your first event. That wasn’t so bad, right? In time you may come to see rallies as friendly parties, and even find them fun. Just like rock stars, many of whom are fellow introverts, giving a performance for the hundredth time. So don’t be shy and dive in.