Social Media Responsibility. Episode 2

In the second instalment of our Angry Bird content series, created for the Centre for Analytics & Behavioural Change (CABC), we once again revisit the familiar, innocent blue bird as he casually scrolls through social media. But this time, the hashtags that begin to appear around him take on a more sinister tone.

Designed for the Facebook platform CareZA, the animation cleverly mimicked trending hashtags at the time in South Africa—many of which were rooted in xenophobic sentiment and targeted African foreign nationals. Through parody and sharp visual cues, this episode exposed how misinformation, scapegoating, and online hate are not only divisive but potentially dangerous. It was released during a time when CABC had just uncovered a highly coordinated xenophobic ring operating on Twitter (now X), systematically pushing out disinformation and inciting hatred.

In a country where xenophobic violence has already claimed thousands of lives, this wasn’t just about narrative. It was about harm prevention and disarming digital xenophobia. 

Our goal was to stop the scroll and spark critical reflection. The episode blended playful, eye-catching animation with hard truths—encouraging users to pause, reflect, and take simple, practical steps to disrupt the spread of hate. We advised viewers to log off for an hour, mute triggering hashtags, and turn off notifications. Backed by behavioural research, this advice underscored a key insight: anger often dissipates when you take a break instead of reacting immediately.

The message was clear and consistent: Think before you share. Fact-check first. As part of the broader CareZA campaign, every episode pointed users toward credible, independent sources of information such as AfricaCheck.org. This empowered viewers to become responsible digital citizens rather than reactive amplifiers of falsehoods.

The episode was once again brought to life through brilliant animation by Flic.tv and a disturbingly playful and immersive soundscape by audio engineer Josh Thatcher at 9th Street Studios. Together, we created content that was both entertaining and emotionally resonant—a hallmark of Iron Heart’s approach to social marketing and impact-driven storytelling.

As a content creation studio and social marketing agency committed to public good, we recognise how powerful social media can be in both fuelling and combating societal harm. With this campaign, we aimed to reclaim the feed—to use social platforms as spaces for dialogue, reflection, and ultimately, behavioural change.

At Iron Heart, we believe that content should not only perform but inform, transform, and protect. This episode of the Angry Bird series remains a potent example of how creative strategy, backed by data and driven by purpose, can challenge harmful narratives and help build a safer, more empathetic digital world, edutaining people where they’re already at: on social platforms.