Change through Social Media - Term Paper Example

Change through social media People of this generation are adapting into the age of technology. The world is using social media to connect with each other in a whole new way. Individuals are using the power of social networks to bring a social change to their communities. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are examples of popular social networks people are using. Although the world has accomplished social change in the past without the use of social media, it is much simpler to accomplish social change with social media. Using social media people can speak freely, spread a message, have access to a large audience of supporters that believe in the message, and then individuals can easily communicate with the audience on how to attack the issue. As stated by Savage”...Big things happen when you and me decide to fight for things to change” (432). Social media can help easily obtain social change by allowing people to express themselves freely. The power social media contains is connecting people from all over the world into one small environment. Sooryamoorthy a well-known Sociology professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa states that, “The internet is a safe venue for them to learn about their host society and open themselves up to others” (609). The internet is a tool that people use on a daily basis to accomplish specific tasks. The power internet gives to social media is protecting people’s identity, but also allowing them to connect with society. Popular social networking websites is what majority of social change happens on the World Wide Web. Dan Savage States, “In the era of social media- in the world with YouTube and Twitter and Facebook” can be useful to get a message across (430). Websites such Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are a popular program that is used by individuals globally. Social networking sites such as YouTube and Twitter allow people to talk freely. Governments can’t tell people the correct way talk if they have no control of what goes on the internet. For instance, in most communist countries they do not have freedom of speech, such as they do in the United States of America. Individuals living in those countries have to be careful what they say, or they might be sent to prison. This point is emphasized by Urvash speaker, a well-known public who points out that ”Social activism is all about optimism, even when you lose” (432). The Privacy social media provides them; allows users to be protected from any kind of authority. Although the government might attempt to find who is going against them. There is not enough proof, because anyone could be anybody online. Social media provides one to achieve social by the freedom of expression. Once they can freely speak, users can spread their message. With the ability to express freely they can discuss their issue with society. Social change only happens if people are willing to speak up. Heflar, a graduate from the University of Sydney School of Health Sciences states that, the people organized a Facebook page against the tobacco companies to discuss the situation of public advertising and marketing on tobacco products (210). To start a social activism you need to give people information about the main topic. Providing people with factual information will encourage them to stand with the person addressing it. Once the audience notices that one person was brave enough to speak about it, they will too. Vaid explains, “Big changes happen if people are willing to fight for things to change, when action is the result to make things different” (431). For change to happen, people need to be willing to take risks to make a difference. . The Facebook page contained information about the use of tobacco and this could be viewed by people who could access the internet by visiting the page or through internet searches. Members who joined the page could also post content online and invite others to join in this campaign. The page was advertised actively through use of existing networks that advocate for control of tobacco such as Globalink. By the following year, Freeman points out “the page had over a thousand followers most of whom were already active in other tobacco control platforms while some worked in the marketing field and interacted frequently with the tobacco companies.” The campaign was able to reach people all across the world because it had members from the united states, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, uk,, south America and even a small number from the middle east. This shows the extent at which social media is used to bring together people from different geographical region but with the same cause. The campaign has had some effect in regards to tobacco sponsoring has been far reaching; an example was the Kelly Clarkson concert on April 2010 that was to be sponsored by a tobacco company. The advocates against tobacco sponsorship issued a media release in regards to the matter and this was followed by a Facebook page. mounting pressure and increasing activism from the activists ultimately led to the removal of the tobacco company as a sponsor. Becky Freeman, a Health Sciences professor at the University of Sydney “as a business person you are responsible for your image and how you are portrayed” (211). These campaigns were able to reach a large group of people who had different views in regards to the matter and could ultimately understand the need for this campaign. The social media sites were important avenues for monitoring the activity of the tobacco industry and ensuring collaboration between the various organizations with the same interests. This freedom of expression due to social media has not only been realized in developed countries but also in developing nations. According to Sooryamoorthy” social media has created virtual communities” (606), and these play a key role in driving change. Example is the case in Egypt. Change in Egypt is being driven through the social media platforms. There were periods when reporting on the ground in Egypt was prohibited, this resulted in media companies like Al Jazeera turning to social platforms where they managed to shape public opinion in a more superior manner. The impact of social media in Egypt started to be felt in 2005 due to the increase in blogs and the gaining popularity of video sharing technology around the time that there was the country’s presidential election. Naomi Sakr is a professor at the Westminster University and also an analyst with The Economist newspaper, she points out that “The country was still opening up to talk of political matters on the television screens and therefore the internet provided a much needed opportunity and platform for people to share their views and get response from across Egypt and the world in general” (323). There was an overall increase in the number of political journalists and bloggers who were busy making online contributions to the cycle of political information. The fields that were discussed were of a wide range, from domestic politics to the foreign relations with other relations and events that were e going on in other parts of the world such as the sinking of the ferry in the red sea. This online activity drew the action of many people and as such, political discourse became popular in television screens around this time. However, the use of television for political debates was confined to a few individuals and was under the control of the state. This resulted in heavy use of the internet by concerned citizens, politicians and journalists who also wanted to contribute to the political opinion of the country. “Within a short period of time, television talk shows started to interact with bloggers and those active in their Facebook pages because these sources were gaining popularity with the viewers”(Sakr, 326). This shows another instance in which social media was used to drive change. It was Sooryamoorthy who was straight forward when he said that “social media can be used by the youth to challenge social norms” (612). The use of social media has various influences on the youth. They can be adopted and used by the media so as to ensure there are constructive changes within the society. All across the globe, social media is taking over, and as stated by Handes, (A Global Social Researcher at the University of Glasgow) “the main driver of social media is the youth” (860). Social platforms come with a wide range of information and this can be used for various uses by the youth. A key factor of social platforms is that it has broken down barriers and enables exchange of information across a wide range of people from various cultures and with different experiences. Social media platforms usually have certain inherent boundaries and this shows how they can be used to impact law and order into the youth. According to Hefler ” Each and every platform usually has rules on how one can post information, guidelines for the form of communication and the standards for interactions within the group members” (222). It has evolved to create an ideal environment for interaction. Social media plays a key role in the economy. This field has been known to be the driver behind certain evolution. Growth in the technological field is not independent and extends to various other sectors of the economy. As a result, there are alternate innovations in other sectors that use social media; “this makes such fields to also have the same level of growth” (Eslen-ZIya, 34). Studies carried out from the 1990’s show that there has been an increase in the growth of social platforms in the United States and the same has also been reported in European countries over the same period of time. This can be attributed to the fact that the United States has intensified the use of social media and the effects are now clearly evident. “These industries that are social media intensive have been shown to be the major drivers of social growth” (Sooryamoorthy 622). In line with this, there is evidence to show that an increase in communication among young people can be linked to the various changes in the society. This essay will therefore show the role played by social media in the services field and how this can be related to innovation activity. The evolution of communication can be looked at from different angles. Different categories people based on the ages as the key differentiating factor: “Marginalized people such as youth and women have embraced new forms of communication while the older generations are yet to fully implement this change” (Hande,865). This is illustrated by the uptake of the internet and more so social platforms such as Facebook and twitter that have become very popular with billions of active users worldwide. However, the older generation is gaining ground on the use of these platforms to air their views. This is done by differentiating the main reason why people are engaging in social media in the first place. Young people like to socialize and as such, social media presents this platform to them. They also get an opportunity to get up to date in regards to the events that are happening across the globe. Initially, there role was purely to watch these changes and do nothing. “But there has been a realization among young people that social media can be used to mobilize resources and bring together people for a common cause” (Hefler, 210) .In the past, the authorities did not care about what went on in the social media platforms. But of late, there has been pressure from these corners and the authorities have started taking note of what is going on in the social media landscape. According to Sakr “It has been realized that majority of the world’s population is the youth and their most popular mode of communication is through social media”(322). This therefore means that if you want to come up with policies that promote their well-being then it is only proper that the authorities follow them to social media sites so as to look at their opinions and views regarding certain events. The advent of social communities on the internet has resulted in the use of this community for commercial ends. Like in many other fields, social identities are shaped and developed by commercial interests. Virtual communities are commercialized based on the nature of members, the form and the content. “Virtual communities have evolved and this perception of a good community has served as a catalyst” (Sooryamoorthy, 606). These communities are found to be quite effective and are quite useful as tools of collective action. Given the wide array of information on the social media, the youth are able to socialize, gain information and entertain themselves. This information literacy is vital to the youth as they learn to become participant citizens, get a chance to express their cultures and for personal fulfillment. Unlike in the past, youth have a role in ensuring freedom of expression, political freedom and ensuring public debates on certain critical issues. “Young people are no longer marginalized and vulnerable; they have taken charge of the situation and this is particularly in developing countries” (Sooryamoorthy, 608). In Chile, there are a group of youths that have taken it upon themselves to develop a political identity for themselves. To do this, they are making widespread use of human rights as the center of their public action which is directed towards social change. Despite all the positive effects of social media, there are some negative effects. Because of the anonymity of people online, users can never be sure of who is advocating for social change. Change can be initiated by people who are not even affected by a particular matter and this can lead to opposition in the selected country. Savage states in his work that “social media is not always fun” (344). It is important to take note of the drivers of change on social media so that people, particularly the youth have the right role models. As Noble points out in his work, “social media presents a cover for negative elements to invade the minds of the youth”(34). The end result is that the youth might end up fighting for ideologies that do not guarantee their best interests. In conclusion, social media plays a very critical role in our lives today. It is true that social media can be used to drive change. It has been used to cause revolutions and is constantly used to change the trends that are around us. It is vital for enhancing communication between youth across the globe and influences their behavior. Social media has played a key role in reduction of the advertising activities of tobacco companies. Over time, it has led to the emergence of political awareness among the youth and women in various parts of the world such as Egypt, Chile and in Turkey. The role played by social media in raising awareness among the youth cannot be dismissed. Virtual communities that are brought together by social media are gaining popularity and growing and this indicates that in future such forums will be a major part in policy making decisions. Despite the various challenges that might arise due to anonymity on social media, what started out as a platform to enhance communication among people has grown to be a major agent for pushing change in various parts of the world. Never before has it been so easy to meet people who share the same ideological beliefs that it is now. It is therefore correct to say that social media has a major role to play in regards to future world events. Works Cited: Sakr, Naomi. Social Media, Talk Shows & Political Change in Egypt.Sage publications, 2012. Online source Eslen-ZIya, Hande. Social Media and Turkish Feminism: New Resources for social activism. 2013. Online publication Sooryamoorthy, Radhamany. Communication, youth and social change: International Sociology.Sage Publication.2011.Print Hefler.M, Freeman.B, Chapman: Tobacco contol advovacy in the age of social media:Using Facebook, twitter and Change.Tobaccocontrol.Bmj.com.2014.online Noble, Trevor. Social Theory and Social Change. Basingstoke [u.a.: Macmillan [u.a., 2000. Print. Read More