Social Media to Change the World
“If I could change the world, I would be the sunlight in your universe,” sang Eric Clapton. Social media empowers people to add sunlight to a shadowed universe. Here are 10 ways to do it.
1. Harness the Dragonfly Effect
In The Dragonfly Effect, authors Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith show how people use social media to form groups and instigate global change. The authors explain that the dragonfly has a unique ability to propel itself in any direction, as long as its four wings work in concert. This uncanny ability serves as a metaphor for how integrated acts trigger a “ripple effect,” which triggers transformation and positive impact. The four components of the Dragonfly Effect include:
Wing 1. Focus on a concrete, measurable goal.
Wing 2. Attention grabbing messages that strengthen the signal and mute the social media noise.
Wing 3. Engage people by making personal connections to the goal. Evoke feelings of empathy and compassion.
Wing 4. Empower people to take action.
The Dragonfly Effect
2. Tell a Story
Felicia Pride of The Pride Collective uses storytelling as a means of inspiring social change. Here are some of her storytelling tools:
- Put a Face on Your Cause: Animal rights, hunger, AIDS and other issues resonate when you talk about individual cases.
- Highlight Your Volunteers: They’re special people. Tell their story.
- Explain Why You Do It: Tell a story about your personal connection to the cause.
- Document Your Stories: Use photos, podcasts, curated content and sites like Storify to document your content.
Photo Credit: Restless mind via Compfight cc
3. Rate Socially Conscious Companies
Trip Advisor, Yelp and other user-generated review sites made radical changes in how we travel, shop and dine. Websites like Social Yell do the same for socially responsible companies. Add your voice.
4. Play For Change
Playing for Change connects the world through song. The project began in Santa Monica with a street performance of Stand By Me and expanded to New Orleans, New Mexico, France, Brazil, Italy, Venezuela, South Africa, Spain, and The Netherlands. Their recent Gimme Shelter Around video sheds light on the plight of the homeless. The folks at Playing for Change invite you to become an ambassador, and share their music through media and other venues. Connect with them on Facebook to keep up with their projects and watch their other videos.
5. Contribute Technology
A report titled Technology for Good: Innovative Use of Technology by Charities identifies innovative ways that charitable organizations are using technology. For example, in Ghana and Nigeria, the West Africa Health Organizations and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline supported mobile applications that let patients check the authenticity of pharmaceuticals. In Uganda, the Community Knowledge Worker program uses a specially designed survey app, which collects data and shares it with the community. Organizations like Tech Soup Global rely people and companies to donate technology to the cause.
6. Expose the Bad Guys
The anti-human trafficking organization Not for Sale started when David Batstone learned that his favorite Indian restaurants was using trafficked teenagers from India to cook meals and wait tables. A gas leak that killed one of the workers uncovered the restaurant’s trafficking business. Shocked and disillusioned, Batstone quit his job and traveled around the world to learn more about modern day slavery. His film, Not for Sale, raises awareness about the problem. Batstone formed a nonprofit organization, which he promotes through various social media pages.
Photo Credit: dualdflipflop via Compfight cc
7. Spread the News
In the past, only people who read the New York Times from cover to cover saw a complete global picture of what’s happening in the world. Even then, most reporters only highlighted the most sensational events. Social media makes it easier for citizen journalists to highlight and share lesser known, but equally important stories.
8. Get a Grant
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Community Information Challenge offers $4 million a year in grants to community foundations who have social media projects designed to increase citizen engagement. Past projects included a rural community news exchange, a food information center, the Park City Green Community and many more.
9. Create a Virtual Town Square
Ripple Strategies is a public relation and content marketing agency that specializes in marketing campaigns for social change. Shayna Samuels, its founder notes:
On the Internet, every website, comment box, and like button can be visualized as a cobblestone in the global town square. And the platforms and codes that enable interactive sites on the Internet are the mortar–the glue that holds the square together–creating a virtual space in place of a physical one, whereby all activities from the extraordinary to the mundane can take place in real time.
In other words, social media provides a venue for exchanging ideas about social change, and using ideas to trigger constructive action.
The Internet is a Virtual Town Hall
10. Facilitate Communication
The most dramatic use of social media for social changed occurred during the 2011 protests in Egypt. After the government cut off Internet access, Twitter launched a service that allowed the Egyptian people to send Twitter messages by leaving a voicemail on a specific number. A group called SmallworldNews organized a team of people who translated the Arabic messages into English. When asked why they did this, they said “We were so impressed and excited with the technology and the number of calls coming in that we wanted to help bring the voice of the Egyptians to even more people.”
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