Why Writing Is The Best Way For Modern-Day Warriors To Get Their Voices Heard
As we’ve learnt from iconic figures like Emmeline Pankhurst, words have power. Speeches can and have incited huge change. But, as interactions move online and social media shares become the talk of the moment, it seems prevalent to question whether the spoken word is really the force for change that it once was.
After all, with few exceptions, megaphone toting activists are now largely bashed in the media and culture in general for enforcing stringent views or disturbing the peace. By comparison, individuals who are turning the term ‘keyboard warrior’ into a positive are writing articles that millions of people can view at the click of a button.
In this way, modern-day warriors who are creating the most impact seem to be doing so behind a screen. Here, we’re going to look at why this more subtle approach is actually driving far more effective steps towards change.
Succinct arguments are difficult to deny
While we would all love to reel out a speech as expertly as Virginia’s Woolfe’s ‘Room of One’s Own,’ this is an exception rather than a rule. Most often, even scripted public speeches are wrought with hesitation, interruption, and mistakes, any one of which could unravel an argument that comes under fire. By comparison, a chance to formulate a thought-through, edited, and grammatically correct blog post or article can provide a much more succinct argument with not a hyphen or comma out of place. This makes it far harder for doubters to dig their nails in, as well as providing you with the time and thought that you need to reference well-posed arguments that no one could question.
An engaging way to make your point
In this age of online options, public speeches rarely receive the attention they deserve, with passers-by either not stopping or spending the entire time looking at their phones. Online articles that tap into this distraction are a far more engaging form of activism, especially when paired with tempting titles and graphics. Writing quality and keywords can even attract otherwise uninterested parties, meaning that entirely new audiences may change their thinking or attitude in a way that they never would have if you had just shouted your point at them.
Social shareability
Speaking of reaching new audiences, shareability is another pressing power point for the written word, and it’s one that the best cultural movements of our time have already tapped into. Yes, YouTube does make public speeches sharable, but this still cuts off a great deal of your accessible audience. Blog posts or similar are shareable across every social platform and chat app to ensure that, unlike a speech that’s dependent on passers-by/attendees, you’re finally able to spread your message far and wide.
Working out what it means to be a warrior in an age where no one seems to be listening can be tricky, but changing with the times is essential. Right now, the written word is driving that difference, causing a nation of screen lovers to, finally, spend their time on something worth reading, and subsequently fighting for.
