Reputation Repair: How We Can Use Modern Tools to Improve Shark Conservation

Sharks are not the man-eating beasts films and legends make them out to be. Though they can be ferocious predators, they’re only typically concerned with devouring their natural prey –– such as fish, seals, and marine invertebrates. It is rare for a shark to attack a human unprovoked, and even more so for an attack to lead to death. In fact, there are only about 72 shark bites reported each year. By contrast, humans kill about 100 million sharks annually.

Despite these numbers, the media portrays sharks as evil monsters, ready to savagely maim any human that dares to explore their oceans. A history of misrepresentation has built up and continually fueled the world’s collective fear of sharks, prompting hunters to murder swaths of innocent animals. To prevent this cycle (and further violence) from continuing, shark advocates need to put a stop to misinformation and change the way the public views these fascinating animals.

Fortunately, modern tools can make it easier to spread positive messages in this effort. Below, we’ll discuss how today’s shark advocates might be able to use video games, social media, and influencer marketing to promote shark conservation.

Image credit:  Unsplash (source: https://unsplash.com/photos/8DO2XXCoB0Q)

Video Games

In 2013, indie game developer Lucas Pope launched Papers, Please –– a puzzle simulation game that aimed to shed light on an immigration crisis. In Papers, Please, players step into the shoes of a border officer tasked with assessing immigrants who want to cross a migration checkpoint. Many featured immigrants face desperate situations, such as women escaping prostitution, asylum seekers, and parents looking for their children. The player must choose between following the game's rules and admitting only the immigrants with correct papers, or exercising sympathy and helping out.

Papers, Please never tells the character what to think about immigration. Instead, it allows the players to form their own opinions based on their experiences within the game’s rules. That’s the power of video games: They allow players to immerse themselves in new situations, which can open their eyes to new perspectives. Similar to how Papers, Please handles immigration, a well-constructed game about shark advocacy might get people to reflect on the situation sharks currently face. It’s not an exact parallel, of course, but such a game might teach that empathy toward innocent creatures ought to outweigh established norms or regulations.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is one of the most powerful tools for boosting a cause’s visibility. The interconnectedness of social media creates a domino effect: When you see a post, you share it with your friends, and then your friends share it with their friends, and so on, helping content to circulate widely across the web. Shark conservation advocates can take advantage of this kind of potential to spread factual information about sharks. For example, you might create an explainer video to break down facts about shark behavior, and spread it on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. You never know when a given post might catch fire.

It can also help to consult a social media specialist if you want to make the most of your efforts. Today, social media management is one of the most competitive careers in the field of communications. This is because a social media specialist understands current trends on popular social platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, and knows how to tap into those trends to generate engagement. With the guidance of someone who has this understanding, you can craft the most effective content strategy for your platform of choice, and make a real difference spreading correct information about sharks.

Influencer Marketing

Though brands find success on social media, individual followers are often more dedicated to people than companies. Today’s internet users like supporting creators, who in many cases feel like kindred spirits or close friends. It’s for this reason that many organizations partner with influencers. Influencers are masters of social media; they know how to build strong relationships with their audiences, fostering loyalty for the long term. Organizations can partner with influencers that share their beliefs, so that said influencers can deliver the brand’s message to large, existing follower bases without seeming inauthentic.

Likewise, shark advocates may well be able to partner with influencers to attract more people to the conservation cause. They can also work with influencers to organize online charity events for shark conservation. To give an example of how this sort of initiative works, in 2021 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital partnered with popular Twitch streamers to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. Together, streamers Kyle "Blessious" Blessing, Lilsimsie, Littlesiha, BloodyFaster, and Negaoryx pooled donations from their followers, earning St. Jude a total of $4 million.

Conclusion

The unfortunate reality in the modern world is that misinformation has led to excessive violence against shark populations. Fortunately, advocates of shark conservation can use modern tools –– such as video games, social media, and influencer marketing –– to remedy the situation and repair the reputations of sharks. Each idea will require a great deal of effort, and some perseverance and luck. But each one can also go a long way toward righting the wrongs of how we treat sharks.

Article contributed by Roxanne James exclusively for The Daily Jaws

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