Because of the rise in hate speech and cyberbullying on social media, communication professor Lisa Hanasono and her students decided to start the service learning project BG4Unity.
During a Q&A session, Hanasono discussed the origins and success of BG4Unity while not giving away too much information on upcoming events.
Q. When did you decide to start BG4Unity?
A.In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in hate speech and cyberbullying on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Yik Yak and SnapChat. Recognizing this pervasive problem, my students and I wanted to persuade people to use social media to (a) help people and (b) show that our community cares about issues related to social justice, diversity and inclusion. In January 2015, we created and established BG4Unity. This community-based, service learning project aims to persuade people to use social media more responsibly to advocate against hate and to provide caring messages of support to people who are coping with discrimination.
Q. What was the initial focus of the class/project? Has that changed overtime?
A.During the spring semester of 2015, our core goals were to (a) establish BG4Unity and (b) encourage BGSU members and BG residents to get involved. To spread the word, we partnered with numerous organizations and staffed interactive BG4Unity booths at local events including the Black Issues Conference, Not In Our Town’s first Interfaith Community Breakfast, and the State of the State Conference on Diversity. We also gave educational presentations at conferences and promoted BG4Unity through The BGNews, The Key and on social media sites.
In 2015, we asked individuals to provide words of hope and social support to victims of discrimination and cyberbullying; we wanted people to engage in discussions about these important social issues and provide a way for individuals to reach out and make a difference.
In 2016, the focus of our outreach efforts switched slightly as we invited people to create and post social media messages that challenge negative stereotypes.
Q. What projects do the students get involved in for the class?
A.Students enrolled in Hanasono’s sections of COMM 3030: Persuasion are given the opportunity to coordinate BG4Unity for the semester. After learning about BG4Unity and social media activism, they work in teams to develop campaign materials, recruit BGSU students and BG residents to create #BG4Unity snapshots and develop anti-hate videos. They also spread awareness of BG4Unity and use their persuasive communication skills to encourage community members to make their own #BG4Unity snapshots at local outreach events.
Q. With discrimination against People of Color and Muslims on the rise, has BG4Unity been able to spread mindfulness and acceptance of these people on campus?
A.BG4Unity continues to work with BGSU and community members to advocate against the discrimination of all people, including People of Color and Muslims. Each week, we focus on challenging stereotypes related to different social identities. In March, for example, we invited people to create #BG4Unity snapshots that challenged stereotypes about gender, sexual orientation, race and culture. This month, we are focusing on challenging stereotypes related to age, health, beauty and intersecting identities. In doing so, we hope to spread mindfulness and acceptance of people from diverse backgrounds.
Q. What is new this year with the class? Will there be any upcoming events?
A.We held an outreach event in February, which was a huge success. We will be planning more events for the fall semester of 2017—please stay tuned. 😊 In the meantime, we invite all BGNews readers to connect with us by liking BG4Unity on Facebook.
The success of BG4Unity has garnered over 1,400 likes on Facebook and over 1,000 people have created #BG4Unity social media photos that challenge negative stereotypes. These photos have reached more than 20,000 people online and made over 150,000 impressions on network members’ social media feeds, according to Hanasono.
“We hope to continue to grow and expand BG4Unity in the upcoming years,” she said.
