How do you best reach the "passive news consumer" in a declining social media engagement era?

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has identified a new breed of voter called the "passive news consumer."

This passivity is becoming more pronounced in affluent democracies, and 68% of British adults fall into this category.

Today, social media users from advanced economies frequently refrain from commenting, sharing, or participating in online news discussions.

Only one in ten individuals engage in such activities weekly; that is one day out of seven.

Dreadful.

This shift poses a unique challenge for political strategists and public policy advocates as today's communications environment is a political monoculture dominated by a few mega-platforms.

Teddy Goff, the mastermind behind Barack Obama's 2012 digital campaign, notes the transformation of the strategist's role in this new communications environment. The remaining active participants in online discourse tend to be disproportionately male and assertively opinionated, with political affiliations shaping the extent of their engagement.

Political strategists and public policy advocates must diversify their presence across platforms as social networks increasingly bury political posts under algorithms.

The unexpected move by Joe Biden to join Truth Social, owned by his political rival Donald Trump, exemplifies the need for politicians and advocates to be omnipresent and platform agnostic.

Interestingly, amidst the algorithmic challenges of social media networks, email continues to be a valuable and essential communications tool, providing a direct channel unaffected by Silicon Valley's whims and pressures.

In this new communications environment, the emphasis on simplicity gains prominence. And there is nothing simpler than a good old email to deliver a message directly.

With social media declining, political strategists and public policy advocates must craft messages that are quickly remembered and shareable in person rather than relying on digital memes or "making it go viral."

Think more about communications that foster word of mouth that will connect at a cocktail happy hour or a backyard barbecue.

The dynamics of information dissemination are evolving, and creativity and direct connections are critical for political strategists and public policy advocates seeking connections in the ever-shifting communications tools available.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc

RIP: WJR

William John Ross (Bill) passed away suddenly at his home on Thursday, January 11, 2024. The first son of Alexander and Mary Ross, Bill was born in Detroit, MI, in 1939 and lived most of his life in the metropolitan areas of Detroit, MI, and Toledo, OH.

Before his retirement, Bill was the owner and president of Associated Staffing, a human resources and executive recruiting firm, and the one-time president of Dura Corporation, a global automotive supplier to North American original equipment manufacturers with plants in Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. While at Dura, he led the company's international expansion, opening operations in Mexico and South Korea.

Bill was active in an investment club, advised hundreds of business leaders from various industries, was involved in the church parishes where he was a member, and supported numerous philanthropic endeavors, big and small.

As a child, he worked as a paperboy and commanded a significant route. So large that sometimes his parents would need to help him fold up all the papers he had to deliver. He also worked as a stock boy at A&P. His siblings recall that he was always working.

Bill attended the University of Detroit High School, graduating in 1957. He graduated from the University of Detroit in 1961 with an accounting degree and was active in the Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity. He also served in the Michigan Air National Guard.

His parents predeceased Bill. His mother, Mary Campbell (McCarthy) Ross, died in 1989, and his father, Alexander McKay Ross, died in 1990.

He is survived by his wife, Jane Ross, and his children, Marc Ross (Karin), Alexandria, VA; Eric Ross (Lorelei), Rock Hill, SC; his step-daughters Kristen Elizondo (S.O. DeAnn Broka), Toledo, OH; Cherie' Demko (Bryan), Sylvania, OH; Sara Cox (Nathan), Lewis Center, OH; and grandchildren, Kayla Ross, Gabriella Demko, Dominic Demko, Vivian Demko, Everly Cox, and Sylvia Cox.

Also surviving him are his siblings, Ellen Pitcole (Larry), Fenton, MI, and Alexander Ross (Merle), Livonia, MI, along with nieces and nephews on both sides of his family whom he truly loved and enjoyed watching their children grow.

Bill was a passionate sports fan, especially of the 12-time national football title winners Michigan Wolverines and four-time NFL champions Detroit Lions. He was an avid reader, a whiz at trivia, and an ardent debater on the day's political issues. Bill loved to study geography and travel to destinations near and far. He enjoyed James Bond films, history documentaries, and singing while he motored on road trips. He made every room he entered better and certainly more fun.

He will be remembered for encouraging those he loved to achieve greatness and always be curious. Bill was a generous, kind-hearted, and outgoing man who loved his family and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 5411 Main Street, Sylvania, OH, with a Celebration of Life Visitation one hour prior in the church's narthex. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, 2224 Dorr St, Toledo, OH. In place of flowers, please consider donating to the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, OH.

Insights from the Biden-Xi meeting: Balancing cooperation + competition in US-China relations

In a high-stakes meeting between US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping, the leaders sought to ease tensions between their nations during a diplomatic encounter on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The meeting came a year after their last face-to-face interaction and aimed to address growing concerns about the potential for military conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.

Despite announcing agreements on confidence-building measures, such as resuming high-level military-to-military (mil-to-mil) communications to avoid miscalculations, Biden openly referred to Xi as a dictator during a press conference.

This candid assessment underscored the increasingly strained relationship between the two global powers and emphasized a recurring theme of Biden's presidency: the global competition between democracy and autocracy.

The Biden administration intentionally set low expectations for the meeting, aiming to restore the bilateral relationship to a point before tensions escalated.

In addition to mil-to-mil communications, the leaders agreed to restart climate talks and address the flow of precursor chemicals from China used in the production of illicit fentanyl.

The leaders also discussed various areas of cooperation, including artificial intelligence, increased flights between the two countries, and expanded people-to-people exchanges in education, business, and culture.

The goal was to demonstrate that the US and China, despite their differences, could work together on shared challenges while managing their competitive relationship.

While expressing the need for collaboration, both leaders acknowledged their differences on matters such as Taiwan, which Xi emphasized as the "most important and sensitive" issue in US-China relations.

The Biden administration has consistently identified China's rise as the most significant geopolitical test of the 21st century. However, critics argue that the administration's focus on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine has left them needing more preparation to counter China's dominance in Asia.

The meeting reflected the delicate balance between cooperation and competition.

However, the off-the-cuff remark by Biden at the end of a presser, referring to Xi as a dictator, highlighted the fragility of the relationship.

The carefully choreographed meeting aimed to project stability, but this unscripted comment underscored Biden's tensions and genuine feelings toward the Chinese Communist Party's objectives and operations.

As global corporate affairs executives and multinational businesses adapt their supply chains while geopolitical tensions persist, the governments of the US and China face the complex task of balancing cooperation and rivalry in a relationship that has far-reaching implications for the world economy and geopolitical order.

The Biden-Xi meeting marked a significant effort to navigate this delicate balance, with both leaders acknowledging the need for collaboration amid their strategic competition, even with an ad-hoc remark capturing the most attention.

CAP (Communications Action Point) = Biden's impromptu comment after his solo press conference jeopardized the carefully orchestrated diplomatic efforts, highlighting the fragility of US-China relations despite attempts to project stability in the face of upcoming elections in Taiwan and the United States.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly

-Marc