# #ReclaimSocial for positive stories of social good, urges Lightful

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/02/06/reclaimsocial-positive-stories-social-good-urges-lightful/
- Published: 2018-02-06T11:45:20+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Tech-for-good platform Lightful has launched a campaign to “reclaim social media
for good”, inviting individuals, charities and organisations to post at least one
positive message a day on social media.**

Backed by organisations including Comic Relief, NCVO, the Institute of Fundraising
and Whizz-Kidz, the campaign calls for an end to the overwhelming negativity on 
social media, the fake news and hate-filled trolling of individuals.

The message reached an estimated 10 million people on social media alone within 
the first five hours.

## Advertisement

The online campaign was triggered with a Thunderclap in which multiple people and
organisations ‘donated’ a campaign message to be sent at the same time via their
Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr accounts.

[Lightful](http://www.lightful.com) has its own positive message of taking action
to counter the negativity. It argues that charities, social enterprises and individuals
themselves often have some of the best, most positive and most powerful stories 
to share on social media.

The campaign’s tagline was “There’s too much negativity on social media nowadays.
Let’s reclaim social media for good”. The message was even presented to delegates
at Davos recently.

 

![Examples of tweets supporting the #ReclaimSocial campaign](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2018/02/reclaim-social-example-tweets.jpg)

_Examples of tweets supporting the #ReclaimSocial campaign_

 

Ruth Owen OBE, CEO of Whizz-Kidz, said: “Social media is hugely important for many
of the young wheelchair users we support, not only for connecting with their friends
but also the wider world.

“What’s more, Whizz-Kidz sees social media as a vital tool for raising the voice
of young disabled people and challenging negative perceptions of disability, and
for us #ReclaimSocial is an opportunity to celebrate the individuals and organisations
using these platforms to effect positive change.”

 

> Another brilliant example of how we can use social media for good! [#ReclaimSocial](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReclaimSocial?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> [https://t.co/Qnyax7VjRR](https://t.co/Qnyax7VjRR)
> — Kirsty Marrins (she/her) | Copywriter (@LondonKirsty) [February 6, 2018](https://twitter.com/LondonKirsty/status/960927675568271362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> We want to [#reclaimsocial](https://twitter.com/hashtag/reclaimsocial?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> for good news with [@Lightful](https://twitter.com/lightful?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> by highlighting one of our favourite [#fundraising](https://twitter.com/hashtag/fundraising?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> stories – our teams are doing a great job raising awareness for good causes every
> day: [pic.twitter.com/pp5h0pNF6R](https://t.co/pp5h0pNF6R)
> — HOME fundraising (@HomeD2D) [February 6, 2018](https://twitter.com/HomeD2D/status/960913528411643905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> Yes to this! Take a scroll through [#ReclaimSocial](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReclaimSocial?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> and feel cheery [https://t.co/lR7cYqKdPh](https://t.co/lR7cYqKdPh)
> — Gemma Pettman (@GemmaPettmanPR) [February 6, 2018](https://twitter.com/GemmaPettmanPR/status/960903873778069505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> [#ReclaimSocial](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReclaimSocial?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> because it's a space where young people can learn from each other, raise issues
> and explore new identities [pic.twitter.com/w2pQRKHb9x](https://t.co/w2pQRKHb9x)
> — Whizz Kidz (@WhizzKidz) [February 6, 2018](https://twitter.com/WhizzKidz/status/960860637017489408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

 

## Billboard coverage

![#ReclaimSocial on outdoor advertising board](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/
2018/02/reclaim-social-outdoor-advert.jpg)

_#ReclaimSocial on the streets of London_

 

The campaign was amplified by digital OOH specialist Outdoor Plus, who donated six
digital roadside screens for the message, reaching an audience of approximately 
1.7 million people in locations across London, including Euston Underpass, Greenwich
and Wembley Way.

The screens are also sharing some of the latest live tweets of people using #ReclaimSocial,
providing a real-time view of how people are engaging with the campaign.

 

## Political support coincided

The campaign launched on the same day that Theresa May addressed a group of people
in Manchester to mark the centenary of some women in the UK securing the vote. She
said: “Social media… should be a force for good… but it is often being exploited
and abused often anonymously”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BexzV1mhqMI/?taken-by=lightful

 

## Best stories to tell

Vinay Nair, CEO & Co-Founder of Lightful, explained why the campaign had been launched.

He said: “Charities and social enterprises have some of the best stories to tell,
which is why we’re delighted to help grow the potential of using social media for
social good – we certainly need that to happen now more than ever. We are humbled
to see so many people getting behind the #ReclaimSocial movement, and this feels
like just the beginning.”

Lightful was founded in 2015 “to revolutionise the way charities and social enterprises
drive genuine positive action through social media”. It was set up by Vinay Nair(
CEO), Carlos Miranda (Chairman) and Johnny Murnane (COO), from Ireland, the US and
Ireland respectively. 

 

## WATCH: Vinay Nair introduce #ReclaimSocial

 

![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader-
2x.gif)