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What Scott taught
- Relies on facts and data rather than values and narrative
- Operates within specific identity categories
- Lacks self-sufficient action logic
- Tactical vs. message
- Doesn't personalize issue or challenge spectator role
The Battle of the Story is a framework for designing social change campaigns developed by the Smartmeme Collective.
According to Smartmeme, social change campaigns often fall into the trap of bombarding the public with fact after fact without "framing" the information for their audience. They describe this as "telling the Story of the Battle".
Only telling the Story of the Battle leaves social change activists vulnerable to the marginalising propaganda techniques of authorities; when the mainstream media reports on conflict between police and protestors but ignores the social values which motivated the protest, for instance, it could be said that the Story of the Battle has prevailed.
In contrast, the Battle of the Story encourages activists to identify the widely-held social values they seek to uphold or protect, and to tell the story of the campaign using powerful symbols and sympathetic characters.
Smartmeme trains activists to tell their story using four main elements:
- Frames the conflict
- Tells the Future
- Engages people's values/personalizes
- Speaks through sympathetic characters
- Shows rather than tells
- Conflict. How can activists define conflicts on their terms (ie vested interests vs public interest) and challenge power holder definitions (ie protestors vs. police)?
- Sympathetic characters. Who are the heroes and villains in the social change story?
- Show don't tell. How can activists expose problems and demonstrate solutions through action, images and anecdotes?
- Offer vision. How do we show people that solutions and alternatives to the status quo are real and possible?