According to the “expert” Malcom Gladwell, the answer would be no. I would have to strongly disagree with that, and yes definitely. In fact, I believe it already has. The facts in the module prove that there has been significant social change.
Ashton Kutcher was able to help Malaria No More; a cause to help malaria provided 10,000 mosquito nets. That to me is a social change, and that’s only a single person making that change.
Let’s talk about Flash Mobs for a minute. According to Mr. Gladwell, real social media change can never come from loose networks of people that don’t know each other. Again, I would have to disagree with that.
Flash Mobs for example have made a huge difference in the lives of others. One instance of that would be the donation of more than 400 pairs of shoes to local organizations to anyone in need (http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=527887). Social change can in fact be done by people that don’t know each other.
I have experienced it first-hand doing a collective event for a local Community Centre. Two years ago, in July 2010 I was asked through facebook by an old friend to help with a community event. This event was the collaboration of several Community Centres in which did not know each other. It was a weekend event for families to enjoy together which didn’t happen very often in my old community. I lived in this project community most of my life, I knew that the community had never seen anyone do something of that nature before, so I was excited to help with it. The event was successful, so successful that it still puts a smile on peoples face when they think about it. Without social media, this event would not have been possible.
Social change doesn’t have to be on a global scale. Sometimes, it’s as small as changing how a small local community feels about where they live, and brightening the hearts of those that are in despair. Is all of this evidence not social change? If a parent changed the life of their child through facebook because they could not be with them, there had been social change through social meda. It only takes a single person in my opinion to make social change. So yes, I do believe social media is able to make social change.
Ashton Kutcher was able to help Malaria No More; a cause to help malaria provided 10,000 mosquito nets. That to me is a social change, and that’s only a single person making that change.
Let’s talk about Flash Mobs for a minute. According to Mr. Gladwell, real social media change can never come from loose networks of people that don’t know each other. Again, I would have to disagree with that.
Flash Mobs for example have made a huge difference in the lives of others. One instance of that would be the donation of more than 400 pairs of shoes to local organizations to anyone in need (http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=527887). Social change can in fact be done by people that don’t know each other.
I have experienced it first-hand doing a collective event for a local Community Centre. Two years ago, in July 2010 I was asked through facebook by an old friend to help with a community event. This event was the collaboration of several Community Centres in which did not know each other. It was a weekend event for families to enjoy together which didn’t happen very often in my old community. I lived in this project community most of my life, I knew that the community had never seen anyone do something of that nature before, so I was excited to help with it. The event was successful, so successful that it still puts a smile on peoples face when they think about it. Without social media, this event would not have been possible.
Social change doesn’t have to be on a global scale. Sometimes, it’s as small as changing how a small local community feels about where they live, and brightening the hearts of those that are in despair. Is all of this evidence not social change? If a parent changed the life of their child through facebook because they could not be with them, there had been social change through social meda. It only takes a single person in my opinion to make social change. So yes, I do believe social media is able to make social change.
I agree with all of your examples. The ability for social media to allow a change in the way people live is immense, and as you said, it can make one feel better about one's own community. It can be as simple as organizing a community event or by communicating with another person on Facebook with whom physical contact is impossible.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your points as to how social media is bringing about real social change. How can someone disagree when solid facts are there to prove the amazing things social media has done. Some people argue that by simply posting a video or informing people about world issues over Facebook is a lazy persons way to pretend to be a social activist, or "SLACtivists". It is absolutely right that making a donation to a good cause, or starting an event to raise money may sound more beneficial but more importantly is raising awareness and inspiring others to contribute to a social movement. The more people supporting the cause, the more successful it will be.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you said " Sometimes, its as small as changing how a small local community feels about where they live, and brightening the hearts of those that are in despair." Even what seems to be a simple act, can mean the world to others.
I enjoyed reading your blog and thought that you included some really good examples. I liked how you used a personal examples and thoughts to help fight your point. I also enjoyed how you not only looked at the big picture of things but the smaller picture and how something so small can have such a large impact.
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