5 Questions With FILTER FOR GOOD's Jourdan Johnson 🍉
This fall, XR designer Jourdan Johnson became the unintentional leader of a global movement by simply doing she knew best — creating and storytelling through the worlds of augmented and virtual reality. From that came FILTER FOR GOOD, a monetizable TikTok effect that became a tool for Palestinian awareness and crisis fundraising. In just 10 days, the effect maxed out at the earnings limit of $14,000. With the support of influential users like Huda Kattan, it’s has now garnered over 3.2 billion views, over 9.6 million uses, and reached the likes of TIME, along the way inspiring a wave of creatives to rethink visual art and extended reality’s potential new role in modern activism.
This is my first time ever opening up The Weekly Work to a spotlight focus on someone other than myself, and Jourdan Johnson was the perfect choice to be the first.
To me, FILTER FOR GOOD’s magic was its perfectly timed, simplified, and gamified use of coded messaging and watermelon symbolism. Lots of other “filters for good” have popped up in the last few weeks — Freedom Leap, Effect for Congo — were there any existing filters that inspired you?
JOURDAN JOHNSON: I had not come across any filters or filter creators that made something like this with the same intentions. The day before I created and published the filter, I had come across a TikTok creator who had made a video explaining that they were a part of the Creativity Program Beta and would be donating the earnings from the views of that video. I saw that and thought [since] I was a part of the Effect Creator Rewards program and had the potential to earn money from a filter, I could do a similar thing.
As an XR creator, I will always encourage people to get into the space, so it has been cool to see others explore this tech and art field, and explore it for ways to do good.
There are also copycat filters that showed up, including one in support of Israel, where the creator “recreated” your content, bar for bar. What are your thoughts there?
JJ: With the filter's success on such a public platform, it was not surprising to me that copycat filters were created. There is not much I can do about it so I try to focus on my own work; I think the results are indicative of people's support.
Let’s talk about art as activism.
The role of visuals and symbolism in social, justice, and humanitarian movements can’t be understated. Even their role in propaganda. Digital creative, gamification, and filters carry movements the same way that signs, screen prints, and pins used to. What are your thoughts on design’s ongoing role in digital activism, from a futurism POV?
JJ: I believe design is a form of communication, a vessel for collective feelings and aspirations, that is ever-evolving. As social media and this digital landscape has made it easier for people to find like-minded individuals, stay committed, and mobilize, design has adapted to how people engage. Because we are able to reach so many people digitally, and so many people across the world so quickly, I think we will continue to see design in new mediums tailored to this as it can enhance communication, raise awareness, and allow people to mobilize in more ways.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
With support for Gazan civilians and calls for a ceasefire came a wave of personal, academic, and professional retaliation, blacklisting, and silencing against those who spoke out against the violence-to-excess they were enduring.
I spoke to Vulture this year about the realities of being Black on TikTok, were where black creators are often targeted with account strikes and community guidelines violations, mass reports, and even bans. In October and November, we saw this extend to any and all creators who were sharing or amplifying Gaza-supportive content. Have you faced any personal or account safety issues specific to your role in the filters creation?
JJ: In the first few days of the filter being active, some of my update videos on TikTok were removed for "violating community guidelines." I assume it was because people were reporting them. However, the appeal process was very easy. I was able to appeal the violations and get those videos reinstated relatively quickly; so, fortunately, I have not had any big issues on TikTok.
On Instagram, I did share a post about the filter and what I was doing over on my TikTok account. After that Reel was posted, as well as other outlets tagging me in their coverage of the effect, my Instagram account was suspended and then disabled, and has been disabled for 2 weeks now – so Instagram has actually been the platform I have had the most issues with, despite the efforts actually being on TikTok.
Now that the max goal has been reached, what’s next for FILTER FOR GOOD?
JJ: The next, FILTER FOR GOOD II, will be created to donate funds to organizations that are fighting the crisis that is happening in Congo. Being an effect creator and just understanding/observing what effects are popular, this one will be more gamified but the design will involve the flag.
For those not on TikTok, Jourdan recommends lending support via Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, HumanAppeal, or donating needs like eSims.
You can follow Jourdan on TikTok @xojourdanlouise.