Omidyar Network Youth Tech Activism

Summary

Challenge

Omidyar Network, a social change venture, wanted to understand what technology-related issues digital natives (Gen Z) cared about, learn more about the youth activism landscape related to digital tech, and understand the barriers young people face to engage in tech activism. This would enable them to strengthen the intergenerational coalition focused on counterbalancing technology's growing harms and ensure technology is a force for good.

Outcome

An overview of seven tech or tech-adjacent topics digital natives care about, recommendations to help ON understand where and how to support youth activists and inform future investments and programming, and a heatmap of the digital native activism landscape. This project led to the creation of a $2 million Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF) to support young people working on responsible tech issues.

Role

Researcher, with one Strategy Director

Process

Our process included:

1. Secondary Research on Tech-Adjacent Issues & Digital Natives 

2. Digital Ethnography & Social Listening

3. Surveys

4. Interviews and Focus Groups

5. Qualitative Analysis using thematic analysis and grounded theory

6. Landscape & Opportunity Mapping

Research

Secondary Research on Tech-Adjacent Issues & Digital Natives 

We reviewed trends, polling, articles, and books to build our knowledge of what values and issues matter, understand the landscape of active organizations, identify participants to speak to, and build our understanding of digital natives overall. This informed our understanding of the landscape, key players, and publicly available discourse around issues. I also supplemented with books to understand digital native mindsets, experiences, and perspectives that informed their activism.

I also expanded the lens of our research beyond just researching tech issues to look at their opposite: positive versions of the world people were building as alternatives to current platforms, policies, or issues through things like products, art, and speculative work. This area of inquiry led to one of the issues our clients chose as a final three to focus on more intensively later in the project and inspired my personal interest in Web 3.

Digital Ethnography & Social Listening

We spent hours on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, Discord, and Geneva to understand the conversation and relative heat of different issues and learn how digital natives leverage digital platforms for activism (their communication norms, patterns, and strategies).

Interviews and Focus Groups

We held 60-minute conversations with 36 digital natives who organize around various tech-adjacent topics and subject matter experts on youth tech issues and activism. Interviews with activists added color and context to our secondary research and introduced us to emergent topics and new people to speak with. We also ran focus groups with digital natives working with a Gen Z consulting agency to generate additional issues and get feedback on our existing categorization.

Interview summaries were created & shared with the client in Dovetail so we could easily include video and audio clips and avoid extra production work creating summaries in PowerPoint. I also developed interview summary templates within Dovetail to standardize our approach.

Synthesis & Analysis

Thematic Analysis & Grounded Theory Coding

We conducted top-down and bottom-up coding based on the themes we discovered during our initial landscape analysis and emergent concepts from our interviews using Dovetail, a qualitative research insights platform. Grounded theory is an approach to qualitative data analysis that stays close to the interviewee's voice by reviewing transcripts in-depth and highlighting sections, which helps mitigate bias in analysis that can happen when we rely on notes or gravitate towards articulate or memorable interviews.

I combed transcripts and coded sections covering issues, perspectives, mindsets, activation journeys, and organizing experiences. I developed a set of codes related to our topic issues and also added codes from the ground up based on our interview content. Quotes could then be filtered by codes, exported to CSV, and dropped into Miro for further synthesis and analysis.

Landscape & Opportunity Mapping

We mapped the social proof from social media channels to visually represent the landscape. We also translated our codes into an opportunity map, which helped us codify the individual and systemic factors at play around different issues that matter to digital natives and how those influence their individual and collective activism efforts.

Insights

Digital Native Context: A Collective Awakening

I created a timeline of important events and technological shifts to visualize the foundational experiences, mindsets, and perspectives that shape the “why” behind what issues matter to digital natives and generational “rupture moments” where large-scale changes happened. Growing up online and always being connected exposes them to a continuous stream of world events and second-hand experiences that can spark a call to action. Different events and issues will resonate among different people, but the collective result is a generation attuned to the systemic, interrelated nature of many of the issues they care about.

We also observed and learned about core shifts in how digital natives communicate and organize, which wasn’t always posted on public social media platforms. For example, we learned conversations are increasingly happening in smaller or private groups within dedicated community spaces on Discord and emerging platforms like Geneva, and in the TikTok comments section. Many of these smaller, more contained environments provide a psychologically safer environment to explore opinions and activism with less risk of being “dunked on” for their posts years later.

The #Z7: Top Tech Issues Animating Youth

We identified and validated seven issues of importance to digital natives, then narrowed them down to three to do a deeper dive with our clients based on alignment with their strategic priorities (highlighted in bold). Read a detailed overview of all seven issues here at #Z7: A Youth-Led Agenda for the Responsible Tech Movement.

1. Digital Wellbeing

2. Digital Division

3. Social Justice

4. Alternative Systems & Economies

5. Digital Rights

6. Tech Worker Organizing & Activism

7. Climate Change

For each of the three issues, we highlighted what it was about, why it mattered to digital natives and Gen Z, provided mini profiles on organizations and activists, and contextualized the issue within the larger cultural and funding landscape.

Digital Wellbeing

The effects that technology – and particularly social media – have on one’s mental and emotional wellbeing.

Digital natives feel the psychological and emotional effects of being constantly online without always being aware of the hidden algorithmic mechanisms wearing them down.

I didn't realize that so many people just passively use the use the Internet. They will really be on TikTok for hours and have no idea how TikTok works, why TikTok shows them the content that they do. They'll be on Instagram for hours and not understand why they feel so drained and be like, oh, well, like, I don't know, I’ll just be on TikTok or Instagram all day.

– M, Gen Z activist

Digital platforms are so core to digital natives’ existence that asking them to log off is like asking them to be invisible.

From a personal perspective, I think social media is probably the ugliest thing about being online. I can’t delete my Instagram because then I won't be connected to my friends.

– N, Gen Z college student

Digital Wellbeing overlaps with mental health, which receives a great deal of attention and funding ranging from medical institutions to celebrities.

Digital Rights

Concerns around data collection, privacy, surveillance, algorithmic bias, and censorship.

The indirect nature of the harms caused by digital surveillance and data collection means the issue isn’t a priority for most digital natives, but those who are aware of them feel powerless.

When all of those documentaries and things came out and the sentiment around data rights being human rights, when gen Z consumed that content, we were like, “Yeah, this makes sense. But is this my number one ticket issue? No.” Right. Is it something that I'm constantly exposed to and thinking about? No… I think we're not actually mindful of its real world ramifications yet.

S, Gen Z consulting company founder

Despite the value of young peoples’ perspective, there is a sense that to be taken seriously in the digital rights discussion, one needs to have an advanced degree and a level of fluency in complex topics, which can discourage digital natives.

I always make this comparison with digital rights. I want it to be like feminism, but it's not like feminism. I can get up today and I can declare to the world, 'I am a feminist.’ I can buy a book, I can read it, I can post on social media, it's done.

But people don't feel the same way about digital rights – even though I would say it comes from the same place of caring about something that matters – because they're like, ‘Oh, I need to have a certain level of expertise. I need to know how all of this works. How can I even say I care about digital rights when I don't know what antitrust is, when I am not sure why I need to be so private all the time.’ Right? So that is almost a psychological as well as institutional barrier to access because where I'm from, one of the things you can do to get into digital rights full-time, or even part-time in fact, is become a lawyer. I don't want to go spend four years in law school just to be able to care about something.”

S, Gen Z digital rights fellow

With digital spaces serving as the primary outlets for expression and creation, digital natives in online communities react quickly to issues that threaten them, like policy changes.

The other vector is in their recreational lives, and this is where there is activism. But again, it's not like movement activism, it's more platform policy activism. So when Reddit changes their moderation policies like, boom… You get, they're sort of local, community-based protests and policies, like within gaming communities or platforms when platforms change their community organizing policies or their monetization policies. Like when YouTube changed their policies around what youth creators could do and how they could monetize. That's an example where yes, within the youth creator movement or community, there was a lot of organizing.

Professor Mimi Ito, Cultural Anthropologist studying youth new media practices

Alternative Systems & Economies

The potential for Web3 and the creator economy to enable greater freedom to pursue one’s ambitions, create a better, more inclusive internet, and address an array of techno-social issues.

Web 3 represents an opportunity to wrest control back from big tech and create a collectively-powered, values-driven internet.

The thing about crypto is like, it is not figured out yet, which means that possibilities feel endless, and there's a ton of energy, which just makes it fun. And people are talking about like systems redesign, like we have an internet that is not dominated by the big platforms. Whether or not this is true, whether or not it's actually more decentralized, we don't know that could change, but right now it feels exciting that it’s not just ‘Crush the thing we have now’–which is like, sure–and it's not just like, ‘Be happy with like the Web 2 centralized platforms, surveillance capitalism.’ It's like, we're going to attempt to make something different. So I feel like a lot of people, I know myself included, are excited about the opportunity, even if uncertain about that outcome.

J, youth activist

While digital natives are early adopters of Web3, finding one’s place can feel intimidating, especially to people historically excluded from tech.

Web 3 and the the creator economy parallels start-up and entrepreneur culture, complete with billions of investment from VC funds.

Redefining the Activist Support Ecosystem

Through opportunity mapping, we discovered the needs of young organizers can be bucketed into three categories.

Personal: Needs relating to current and aspiring activists as people so they can maintain their energy and capacity for activism over time.

Organizational: Needs associated with running a youth-led organization.

External: Needs related to interacting with others like grantees, funders, governments, and companies.

While people might think of support just in terms of grants or supporting a youth-led organization, we need to go beyond the organization itself and study up, a concept I learned from HmntyCntrd that involves looking at the surrounding ecosystem around an individual or issue to better understand the power dynamics. Making changes to the environments in which young activists work would create a more welcoming space with fewer barriers that would reduce the burden of individual burnout and change conditions to make activism more fruitful and joyful.

Outcome

With information from our clients about strategic and institutional resources and intervention areas we could draw from, we developed a set of recommendations across these personal, organizational, and external activist dimensions. We drew upon these, which included categories like Networking, Funding, and Advocacy. We also suggested the development of a new category, Infrastructure and Resources, to provide support for young organizers to structure and run their organizations

Personal Support: Balance & Flexibility

Young activists struggle to maintain balance in their lives as they grow their organizations, scale their activism activities, and face burnout, including balancing competing priorities, feeling activist burnout, and facing the threats of increased public attention.

How might we make activism more balanced, sustainable, and life-affirming for individuals?

Strategic recommendations and solution ideas included:

• Youth activist support circles, workshops, and wellness retreats (through Networking & Convening)

• Restorative activism approaches and best practices (Communications, Networking, and Research)

• Resources for managing activism risks and burnout (Infrastructure/Resources)

  
  

Digital natives possess powerful skills and valuable perspectives on tech. However, organizations are somewhat static entities that require a lot of commitment while young people are at a stage in life where their circumstances and interests are in flux. They face innate startup & longevity barriers, evolving interests that contrast with the static nature of organizations, and feeling unclear about how best to get involved.

How might we enable more young activists to get involved without starting an organization?

Strategic recommendations and solution ideas included:

• Youth activist support circles, workshops, and wellness retreats (through Networking & Convening)

• Restorative activism approaches and best practices (Communications, Networking, and Research)

• Resources for managing activism risks and burnout (Infrastructure/Resources)

Organizational Support: Infrastructure, Momentum, and Partnerships

Young activists spend a lot of time trying to figure out administrative and infrastructure needs to ensure they’re supporting their organization and mitigating potential risks: forms, taxes, legal considerations, and many more. They often struggle to navigate growth and scale, are missing support due to assumptions about their expertise levels, and experience the risks and costs of disjointed support, like planning for a future with inconsistent funding.

How might we reduce the administrative burdens and risks associated with organizing?

• Consulting services & office hours on the organization landscape (Networking/Convening)

• Point resources for specific needs in financial, legal, and other areas (Infrastructure/Resources)

• A dedicated digital space for youth organizers (Networking/Convening, Infrastructure/Resources)

Youth-led efforts often emerge in response to specific issues that affect them. However, turning that short-term, issue-based activism into long-term engagement with movements presents challenges to organizers. They face increased responsibilities with age, manage a lack of long-term support & commitment, and navigate the shift from short-term to long-term.

How might we help youth-led organizations maintain momentum over time?

• Stipends and compensation

• A youth organizer fellowship or collective

• Resources and information on organizational models

Youth-led efforts need the support, guidance, and resources mentors, partners, and funders offer. However, they face challenges in finding partners who will commit to support, follow through on promises, and respect youth experiences and perspectives. They feel restricted from making an actual impact, struggle to find & maintain true partnerships, and need long-term investment.

How might we support mutually beneficial and respectful partnerships?

• Partnership guidelines & consulting

• Mixers, chats, or formal mentorship opportunities

• Connections to the funder & partner landscape

External Support: Space & Standards

The ways funders identify and locate expertise, power, and potential in young activists can contribute to the pressures to be “superhuman” and exacerbate inequities in activism. Funders often focus on metrics of scale, which pressures young activists to be or look superhuman, reinforcing inequities in activism.

How might we reimagine the evaluation standards for digital natives?

• More inclusive, accessible standards for grants and competitions

• A dedicated space for emerging youth activists

• Programs that meet activists where they are

Digital natives' lived experiences online shape the business models and trajectories of platforms, yet their perspectives are often ignored. Incumbents of power waste opportunities to leverage digital natives' cultural fluency, can show little respect for their lived experience on digital platforms, and don't provide space for young activists to make meaningful–rather than symbolic or tokenistic–input.

How might we help digital natives find places where their voices are valued?

• Invitations to participate (through grants, fellowships, and competitions)

• Support systems for youth working with incumbents of power

• Institutional credibility to elevate digital native voices

In addition to the strategic recommendations, we also made a heatmap in Kumu.io using an Airtable tracking doc. This map encompassed organizations ranging from youth-led to intergenerational, funders and grant organizers, and more to provide a quick visual overview of the types of organizations and funders in the activism landscape.

Impact

As an immediate next step, we shared this work with other partners in their funding ecosystem. Later in the year, Omidyar Network and 14 other partners announced the creation of The Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund, a $2 million fund to support youth activists.

Learnings

List and question assumptions at the start.

We assumed digital natives would approach activism and social media the same way as other generations at the start of the project and were looking for types of signals we quickly struggled to find, like posting publicly in a linear and trackable “activation journey” on social media and creating formal organizations lasting many years. Secondary research and interviews revealed that digital natives had quite different norms and approaches to activism and communication. Rethinking these assumptions would have helped us time– and methods–wise, so I would have pivoted to interviews or focus groups as initial generative activities.

Circle back with interview participants and engage them for their full expertise.

We kept interview participants in the loop with the project, sharing insights so they could see how their input shaped the project. We also engaged their community expertise while looking for additional sources for our topic deep dives.