Some advocates for nuclear power are turning to mobile applications to help them push their agenda. There is a new App named Atomic Action created for Generation Atomic, a new non-profit grassroots organization that "specializes in door-to-door canvassing operations and gamifying nuclear advocacy." Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts.
Atomic Action was created by UCampaign which is a pioneer in gamifying advocacy. They successfully created and deployed such Apps for issues and political campaigns in the 2016 election. Atomic Actions is being released for free through the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store on April 5th.
The base for this particular campaign is located on the campuses of the University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania State University. G.A. has created officially-recognized student chapters on each campus. To date, G.A. volunteers have had thousands of conversations as they went door-to-door. The signup rate for this campaign has been fifty-three percent or over half of the people canvassed.
The Atomic Action App is intended to replace the clipboards that are usually carried by door-to-door canvassers. The Organizing Director for G.A. said "I don't think I have ever met someone who enjoys being talked at. People enjoy conversations, they like to be heard and they like to share what is important to them. So that's what we do."
When a G.A. volunteer knocks on a door, they show the prospective supporter (subject) the screen on a smartphone. Listed on the screen will be several general topics related to nuclear power.
· Jobs & Economy
· Affordable Energy
· Environment
The volunteer allows the subject to select one of the topics that interest them. Then the volunteer and subject engage in a conversation about the topic. Finally, the volunteer sends the subject a text message that invites the subject to download the application. People who download the A.A. App can earn points by sharing information, attending meetings, contacting legislators and decision makers and, finally, by recruiting new supporters.
The conversations have ranged over a wide variety of subjects including the economics of nuclear power, problems with nuclear waste and safety, possibilities for jobs and stimulation of local economies, and environmental issues. The conversational approach engages the subjects much better than being asked to listen to a scripted statement, read a portion of text or watch a short video clip.
The G.A. Executive Director said "We felt like there had to be a better way than paper-and-pencil. We had both worked on campaigns where smartphones could be used as digital data collectors, but this still seemed limited. We wanted to democratize and even gamify nuclear advocacy. That's why we developed Atomic Action. "It's like Pokémon Go for nuclear advocacy."
The volunteers also enjoy the new approach. Instead of having to repeat the same information over and over again, or stand idly by while the subject reads or watches a video, the volunteer gets to engage in a variety of conversations on different topics during the course of an afternoon of canvassing. One volunteer said, "It makes this work way less awkward."
