How to do it:

Science tells us that “mob behavior” is a universal truth. If a chicken has a speck of blood, other chickens may peck at it until the small wound becomes fatal. Similarly most of us have seen bullying in elementary school — from one side or the other. Few of us had the courage to stand against the mob and say stop, but science says that’s exactly what it takes: for one person to stand up first. Tyler made that process systematic by creating a group that intervene in online bullying to leave positive comments. His initial curiosity has grown into a half-million strong, but what he really wants to do is spread the message: you can make a difference! (They have cute T-shirts to help.)

“I thought, what if I start a channel where I get 10 people in a little club, and we flood the comments with positivity to tip the scales?”

— Tyler Brickley, founder

The group accepts nominations, but they only choose one “cause” each day, prioritizing smaller online accounts being attacked in a systematic way. They hope this example will show what can happen with coordinated effort, so while they’d love to see you join (and it’s a good way to learn how it works in practice!) really they’d like to see folks adopt this in their own lives. The simplest way to get involved is simply to start leaving positive comments whenever you see bullying! To step up your game, invite five friends to form a “mob” of your own. When someone sees something, everyone supports the target with sincere, honest positive comments. You don’t fight back, or respond to negativity. You just drop a little encouragement or praise.