Expert tips for social media advocacy
The panel included social media activists Marnie Perlstein, Keren Zelwer, Zara Cooper and Dan Monheit, moderated by Jackie Majzner.
J-United teamed up with Young Jewish Professionals at St Kilda Shule on September 8 for “Influence with Chutzpah: Social Media Activist Masterclass”. The event also served as the launch of St Kilda Shule Young Adults, with over 200 people in attendance.
The panel included social media activists Marnie Perlstein, Keren Zelwer, Zara Cooper and Dan Monheit, moderated by Jackie Majzner. The panellists said they were inspired to use social media to counter antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility in the aftermath of October 7 and discussed their tips for being effective.
Hard Hat Digital founder Monheit said his professional advice is to make posts “short and sharp”, but also underpinned by facts. “The best content is the content that gets made,” he said, suggesting starting with whatever format is easiest.
Perlstein said after the antisemitism at the Sydney Opera House on October 9, she “needed an avenue for venting”, and created short videos that grew her followers from 1000 to over 37,000. She believes anybody can do it.
Disability advocate Zelwer said she “doesn’t post with chutzpah” but is inspired by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of murdered hostage Hersh, who “cuts through” because she shows compassion and does not speak with anger or hate “to open hearts and minds”.
Lawyer and co-founder of PaperKrane, Cooper said, “I do influence with chutzpah”, saying after October 7 she didn’t want to scream into an echo chamber, which led her to start @clammy_fraud, which mocks the views of prominent anti-Israel activists including Clementine Ford.
Cooper noted that social media advocacy is not for everyone, as her advocacy has led to her business being targeted, hostile messages and death threats. She sought to address the harassment through the legal system but found it unhelpful which led her to start a new organisation “Digital Defence”.
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