Animal rights activists FARM visited West LA College on May 13th to raise awareness on the mistreatment of farm animals. Their strategy was intriguing, they offered students $1 to watch a four minute video.
The $1 cash payment was enough to hook many students, and myself, into watching the video.
The video itself was a horrifying eye-opener exposing the inhumane practices that are commonplace in factory farming. Hard to watch is an understatement.
At the end of the video, the screen gave me the option to make a pledge to stop eating meat from 1 day a week to 7. This was the fascinating part. I found myself pushing the button pledging to stop eating meat 3-4 days a week. I also didn’t take the dollar.
That same day I made a conscious decision to eat lunch at a vegetarian restaurant instead of my usual taco stand. I didn’t eat any meat for dinner and am abstaining from eating animals today as well.
I’m not alone. According to the 10 Billion Tour website, “…more than 80% of viewers commit to eating fewer animal products!”
The effectiveness of this pledge strategy made me wonder if it could somehow be applied to online learning. Imagine a video that could connect emotionally with students and emphasize the importance of working hard to further their education. A similar pledge at the end could be offered asking students to pledge a number of days per week to log into class.
Maybe a new project for the West LA Digital crew? Stay tuned…
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