Social movements, digital fundraising & issue awareness: the role of targeted ads

Digital advertising plays a crucial role in providing valuable services and content to consumers, while free online tools and increased accessibility has created innovative ways for young people to collectively mobilise. Digital tool innovation has also brought about fundamental changes in the way social movements and grassroots organisations seek to enact change, with the targeted advertising ecosystem playing a key role in fundraising and outreach.

While many see the benefits, wider concerns exist on privacy and the misuse of data. Amid EU policy discussions on the future of Europe’s digital economy, and companies transitioning to privacy-compliant alternatives – how have individuals, groups, and organisations used digital tools and targeted ads for collective identity building and issue awareness? And what do young people think about the trade-offs between personalisation and privacy?