Harmony Labs

What does racial equality look like onscreen? Our new report examines how over 100,000 viewers engaged with nearly 2,000 streaming shows and movies in 2024, revealing what makes stories about racial equality connect across audiences. 🎬 Across genres, audiences engage with stories that frame racism as systemic, and show heroes pushing against these barriers. 💫 The systemic barriers often take the form of antagonists or agents of exclusion, driving the story’s conflict and the hero’s quest for transformation. We created this report for storytellers who want to reach new audiences with stories that match diverse perspectives on systemic change, helping more people see themselves in the journey toward racial justice and envision futures worth striving for. Check out the full report: https://lnkd.in/e8nwSt9m

If you'll be at Race Forward’s Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity convening in St. Louis this week, we’re excited to be in conversation about how narratives can build multiracial solidarity. In preparation for the conversation, we were curious about how solidarity actually works, so we surveyed 600 Americans across racial groups to understand how it’s created and sustained. We found that for many people outside organizing spaces, solidarity isn't a starting point—it’s the outcome of doing meaningful work together. When people recognize shared fate and work together toward shared goals, closeness follows. Those bonds, in turn, make people more likely to take further action in solidarity. More than a century after Durkheim first observed that structured roles create social cohesion, our data show that it’s still true across races and issues. Read the full piece and let us know what you think: https://lnkd.in/e7YGKE6Q

At Harmony Labs, we map how values-based audiences engage with online media to deliver data-driven evidence for what kinds of stories work, and for whom, in shaping the futures we believe are possible. Our new report, Racial Equality in Fiction, finds that audiences across values choose TV/film that present racial equality as a systemic issue. Huge thanks to our advisors and creative experts for their partnership in this work. Check it out and tell us what you think: https://lnkd.in/eZPQQgDF

“Your identity is who you are—as the hero of your life story.” Harmony Labs' principal scientist Frederica Conrey joined our friends at We Are RALLY on their podcast What If We? to unpack what audience identity really means—and how shared values and lived experiences can make persuasion more human and more powerful. Check it out at the links below or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/43DS4uV Spotify: http://bit.ly/3Ldst5O

“The unit of meaning for a human being is really a story. Stories are what make media go. Stories are the stuff that flows through the pipes of media. And so in everything we do, understanding stories is really primary. Rather than ask people survey questions primarily, we look at the choices they’re making for themselves about the stories they want to engage with. And then we make inferences from those stories about what they think and what’s important to them.” 🎙️Our Executive Director Brian Waniewski joined Eric Schurenberg on the In Reality podcast to discuss how Harmony Labs uses a narrative-driven approach to understand how audiences connect across media platforms, from streaming services to traditional news. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/erv4KQex

12,000+ creators. Billions of views. $40M raised in weeks. The #TeamWater campaign, led by MrBeast and Mark Rober, showed us what's possible when creators mobilize together. But the story doesn’t end there. We’re teaming up with Matt Fitzgerald, social impact leader and #TeamWater Co-Founder, to dig deeper into what one of the largest creator-led fundraisers means for the future of organizing, funding, and storytelling. Watch this space. 🌎 https://lnkd.in/eWJQTvKC

What do Lincoln, MLK Jr., Jesus, and Katniss Everdeen have in common? We asked thousands of people in the U.S. who their “democracy heroes” are, and the answers reveal a powerful throughline: across divides, people share a vision for an ideal government that’s representative, responsive, and protective of everyone’s rights. Our new Deep Story Dispatch uncovers this surprising alignment, even as audiences take different routes to reach the same goal, from restoring core principles to transforming systemic rules. Explore the latest findings and discover which heroes resonate with you: https://lnkd.in/eEbTCfEg

The fight for a just energy transition is happening as much in our stories as in our boardrooms and courtrooms. And the stories we tell about energy transition materials today will shape public opinion and influence policy, investment, and community consent for decades. Our new research maps how lithium, copper, nickel, and other energy transition materials are framed across news, policy, and industry communications, from 2022 to 2025 in nine countries. It shows a stark narrative shift: 🏭 30% rise in “Real World Remake” stories focused on urgency, scarcity, and military threat. 🌎 20% decline in environmental and climate-focused narratives. ⭐️ Indigenous voices appear in only 2% of stories, despite being central to 54% of ETM projects worldwide. When "move fast, break things" becomes the dominant narrative, rights-based approaches risk being sidelined—a shift that has important implications for advocates working toward a just energy transition. Check out the findings summary, now available in English, French, Indonesian, Portuguese, and Spanish: https://lnkd.in/eNqeSemQ Full report here: https://lnkd.in/erduJU6w And the literature review: https://lnkd.in/ep3Bib-6

🚀 We're hiring a Senior Product Engineer at Harmony Labs! Looking for a technical leader to build innovative solutions that power impactful research. You'll work across infrastructure, data, and product areas while mentoring junior engineers and collaborating with data scientists and strategists. Send your resume and cover letter to jobs@harmonylabs.org https://lnkd.in/eStyfHVN

Narrative change requires patience, collaboration, and ongoing learning. That’s why we launched the Narrative R&D Lab for Economic Mobility and Opportunity: a first-of-its-kind, three-year initiative using rigorous research to reshape how America understands poverty and human flourishing. Our growing community of practice works together to develop actionable insights and tools, helping the Economic Mobility and Opportunity field tell stories that move us all closer to a poverty-free future where everyone can flourish. Learn more about the Narrative R&D Lab, and how you get involved: https://lnkd.in/dhqKGZRJ