#ReclaimSocial 2023 - Join us on 6 February

#ReclaimSocial returns on 6 February for its sixth anniversary.

Reclaim Social started as an awareness day in 2018 to encourage individuals and organisations to make social media more positive. Since then, the hashtag has had more than 200 million impressions and more than 10,000 people have posted about the campaign.

Fast forward to 2023 and it’s more important than ever to improve our social media experience. Hate, misinformation, and trolls are filling our newsfeeds and they can have a big impact on our personal and professional lives.

Although the times (and social media landscape) have definitely changed...we are coming together once more on 6 February. We'll use this opportunity to explore how social media can help us to connect with others, and build engaged communities.

It’s not just about sharing positive content for one day, though. We are inviting everyone to evaluate their use of social media and make sure they are Reclaiming Social for good throughout the year.

There were a lot of conversations about Twitter at the end of last year and many charities were considering leaving the platform. Many of us have ethical dilemmas about the use of social media and how it is evolving. At Lightful we still believe that social media has the potential to bring people together, and it’s more important than ever to support our communities who are still using these online spaces

How to join #ReclaimSocial on 6 February

Joining an awareness day can help you celebrate your work, reach a new audience, thank your supporters, or even collaborate with other organisations. It’s also a great way to be part of a movement that matches your values and an opportunity to share more details about your cause.

Looking for content inspiration? This is the perfect time to start planning your posts for 6 February.

Here’s how you can join #ReclaimSocial on the day:

• Share inspiring stories
• Highlight your latest campaign
• Share how you’re using social media for good
• Thank your supporters / volunteers / team
• Nominate your heroes of positivity who improve your social media experience
• Encourage others to join the day

You can share one or multiple posts, based on the number of stories and ideas that you want to highlight. If you stopped using a particular social media platform over the last few months (you know which one we mean), make sure you signpost your followers to the channels where you are active.

Who’s making your social media feeds more interesting? We’d love to create a list full of inspirational people to follow. Whether it’s an organisation, an influencer, or simply your best friend, nominate those who inject positivity into your feeds.

• Mention five people who inspire you or simply make your feed more positive
• Encourage your followers to nominate their own heroes of positivity
• Help others create a more positive feed by including the hashtag #ReclaimSocial to positive stories you’re coming across

How to join #ReclaimSocial throughout the year

We are all coming together on 6 February for #ReclaimSocial day but it’s also important to explore how we can improve everyone’s experience on social media throughout the year.

Here are some ideas on how to reclaim social for good in your daily life.

• Highlight positive stories and content. Use any opportunity to share inspiring stories to encourage more people to do the same.
• Create or join inspiring communities. Bring people together through online communities that promote connection and inclusion. Protect your community with policies that create a safe and inclusive environment.
• Use social media to promote real-world action. Use social media to mobilise action around a cause. Connect with volunteers, promote events, and inspire people to make a difference.
• Help others improve their social media experience. Not everyone knows how to protect themselves from the negative side of social media. This is where we can help those of us working on social media. Create educational content, write blogs, and help someone directly if they are struggling to use a specific platform.
• Lead by example. It’s up to all of us to influence how social media evolves. Start by reviewing your own use of social media and how you can improve it. Be a positive influence in the online world and that will promote positive online behaviour.

Useful resources about #ReclaimSocial

If you’re new to #ReclaimSocial, here are a few resources to check out:

• Six ways charities can #ReclaimSocial - Blog for CharityDigital
• How to embed #ReclaimSocial into your daily activities - Blog for CharityComms
• 6 steps to improve your social media and mental health - Blog for The Big Issue
• Countering digital hate and misinformation with Imran Ahmed (CCDH)
• Guide to Best Practice in Ethical Digital Marketing & Comms Practices by Charities Against Hate
• Tech, activism, and self-care during COVID-19 with Seyi Akiwowo (Glitch)
• Don’t feed the trolls – a guide to dealing with online hate on social media by CCDH
• How Action for Happiness are using social media for good with Mark Williamson
• The power of Giving Tuesday with Asha Curran
• How WWF UK are using social media with Nicola Gee

Social media assets to use

You can access more than 50 social media assets (images, videos, GIFs) that you can use as part of #ReclaimSocial.

Feel free to use them however you want as part of the campaign.

Download all social media images here.

Social media toolkit

We have created a social media toolkit to help you plan your content for #ReclaimSocial.

It includes

• Tips on how to reclaim social for good
• Content ideas
• Draft social media posts
• Links to social media assets
• Examples of posts

You can find the #ReclaimSocial social media toolkit here.

Examples of posts around #ReclaimSocial

Looking for inspiration on what to post on the day? Here are some great examples.

Keep up with the latest news about #ReclaimSocial

Want to stay up-to-date about all the initiatives around #ReclaimSocial and the latest nonprofit stories?

Sign up for our newsletter today.

We can do it!

We know that social media has become very negative. There is growing uncertainty that we all need to navigate. It’s important to reflect on the current situation and how our digital presence might be impacted in the future.

However, as many of us still choose to maintain an active online presence, we need to explore how we can protect our communities and help others improve their social media experience.

We still believe that social media can bring people together to build inspiring communities around important causes.

Let’s make it happen, one step at a time.

Join #ReclaimSocial on 6 February and help make everyone’s feed more inspiring!