Giving Compass' Take:

• Katharine Schwab explains how tech startup Swayable is conducting research to figure out how to change minds, but only for causes they deem morally acceptable. 

• How can this type of work be used to advance social causes? What are the advantages and dangers of picking and choosing causes as a business? 

• Read a moral case for evidence-informed policy-making. 

You’re scrolling through Facebook. You see a video from an advocacy organization on climate change, and you stop to watch. When the video finishes playing, do you care more about climate change–or less?
Right now, it’s nearly impossible to gauge how much such a video shapes a viewer’s opinion. That’s the problem the San Francisco-based startup Swayable is tackling. The company runs randomized control trials on online content, recruiting thousands of people to watch a video, then answer questions about how their opinion changed–or not. Then those who made the videos get a breakdown by demographic of which videos changed the minds of different groups the most. The goal? To influence people’s opinions.

Now, Swayable is gearing up for the midterm elections, where the team is aiming to help predominantly progressive candidates swing voters their way

And unlike most other tech companies, Swayable does take a stand on what kind of agenda it will help promote.

Read the full article about Swayable by Katharine Schwab at FastCompany.