Monthly Archives: March 2013

Creating Change Through Social Media

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(image source: fooyoh.com)

 

The adoption and use of social media platforms has become part of our daily lives. How can we use these platforms to create social change? We’ve seen the dramatic example of social media and change with the use of Twitter and other platforms during the Arab Spring.

The World Bank in a blog post cited other examples including: 

Fighting corruption:  250 young people met at the third Global Youth Anti-Corruption Forum last year to talk about how their use of social media can play a significant role in the global fight against corruption.  Around the world, youth are using social media to monitor the effectiveness of public service. In countries such as Paraguay and Brazil, they are using Facebook and Twitter to make official data available publicly to inform and mobilize their peers.”

So how can you create change through social media? The Gates Blog posted these ideas:

  1. Gather advocates
  2. Allow ideas to develop
  3. Forge an authentic voice
  4. Create sustained conversations
  5. Be approachable
  6. Identify your core demographic
  7. Don’t equate social media with dumbed down conversation
  8. Be innovative in your approach

Like any worthy undertaking there needs to be a certain amount of input (time and effort) in order to have an impact but these are some great ideas. 
Is there anything missing in this list?