Digital Storytelling for Public Health and Community Organizing

Background:  Promoting active living and creative ways to exercise has been a priority in recent years as a way to combat sedentary diseases. Generally, public health messaging in traditional print or television media focuses on the benefits of exercise to improve health outcomes or to avoid chronic illness. While this is one way to promote active living, there are other approaches to sending positive messages to influence action, and this is done well through lifestyle blogs and social media networks. Designing an engaging, relatable online presence is critical element for reaching a target population. Digital storytelling through blogging, photos, and videos is the core of this principle.

Program background:  Women on Bikes SoCal has harnessed the power of digital storytelling done by a diverse group of individuals who have a passion for biking. With the use of colorful blogs posted on a regular basis by a small team of volunteer columnists and guest authors, the stories of women who bike come alive. Authors are also social media personalities who promote unified messages to their own networks and pull in other talented storytellers to support the cause. The goal of Women on Bikes SoCal is to celebrate the diversity of people who bike while weaving in public health messages, building community, inspiring a new breed of advocates, and providing educational opportunities.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Feedback is solicited through online surveys and polls which include demographic information about readers and insight about their interests. Website analytics and social media metrics show the increase of unique visitors and participation in Women on Bikes SoCal community—online and offline. Analytics show what types of content drive traffic and the type of online marketing that increases readership and activity. Additionally, through this website and related advocacy activities, opportunities for leadership development have emerged for young women and their inclusion in policymaking activities have grown. The influence of the women’s bike movement is being recognized on local and state levels, and most importantly—online.

Conclusions:  Women on Bikes SoCal successfully promotes an active lifestyle by creating a network of ambassadors who are passionate about sharing their personal stories and promoting public health messages. This organic style of storytelling leverages the power of real voices and social media. The needs of women who bike are given more visibility through this platform, and this visibility is important in shaping the environment that affects this group. Through this collective effort, the women’s biking movement is gaining supporters from various sectors in the community who may not be traditional allies in the promoting active living.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Organizations interested in creating a more interactive online experience to reach targeted communities can apply best practices and examples from Women on Bikes SoCal’s process of development, growth, and discovery. Sharing the Do’s and How-to’s for achieving significant milestones on websites and on social media sites can enhance existing online efforts. Recommendations for creating content and promoting will serve as a guide for capitalizing on time and resources invested in each component.