Project Description

90% of people say they’ve seen cyberbullying and ignored it. New Statistics say this number may be closer to 95%. Our lawmakers have become passive bystanders to this problem.

So we asked… what if you couldn’t be a passive bystander?

The laws in place to fight cyberbullying are flimsy and ineffective. Though cyberbullying can have extreme consequences, we have become unaffected onlookers to the situation. This campaign targets the general public and the lawmakers who have taken the role of passive bystanders.

Cellphones are the most common medium for cyberbullying. In the lawn in front of the Capitol building cellphones will visually represent the 90% of passive bystanders versus the 10% that take action. The piles will be impossible to miss and signage around the lawn will direct onlookers to visit the website to learn more.

The campaign centers around an interactive media board that allows people to test their ability to deal with a cyberbullying situation. Five different situations occur at random when people interact with the board. It prompts participants to take action, rather than remaining passive.

Other executions will include installations across the capitol steps, and signage, and an online message board, and social media activation.

Participants can choose to defend the victim, which is a more aggressive approach, combat the bully with a positive comment towards the victim, or report the offensive comment. These are three different ways for bystanders to do something and not just
ignore the issue.

All media will encourage the viewers to investigate the #dosomething hashtag and visit the website. The website will include:

  • Introductory video
  • Brief overview blurb
  • Take the test
  • Learn more about the laws
  • Easy share options

People who take the test are prompted to share their results with friends and followers via social media sites. In addition, by using the hashtag, people who are not at the Capitol are able to learn more and reach the website.

At the end of the day, the culmination of our campaign efforts are summarized in a video that is projected directly onto the Capitol building. The video opens
with our core fact that 90% of people say they’ve seen cyberbullying and ignored it. But
this case-study-like video will show just how many people chose not to ignore cyberbullying that day, proving that you can always do something.