Social media can be an
extraordinarily powerful tool, when used properly. Sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat, and many other sites/applications in
which users can connect and interact with others can be used as tools for
communication, career interests, politics, fundraising, organizing, and
bringing attention to worthwhile causes. Social media can be used for
entertainment, political, professional, and personal reasons, and should be
used responsibly to prevent negative outcomes for users such as cyberbullying,
letting social media interfere with daily life, and potential effects on a
person’s future. I hope that you have enjoyed this Blog and learned a couple of
things about Social Media.😊
Monday, April 24, 2017
Social Media and Politics
Like I mentioned in an earlier post, politicians often turn to social
media to communicate with citizens regarding political issues, amongst other
things. The President of the United States has a Twitter and Facebook account.
Hilary Clinton is active on Twitter. Senator Elizabeth Warren is very active on
social media, especially in voicing her stance on certain political interests.
This activity on social media by politicians and citizens allows citizens to
communicate with and hear many different voices in our government, but it also allows
for a more “fierce” battleground when it comes to elections. In the 2016
presidential election, we got to see a lot of activity from every angle on
social media. Whether it was the Democratic party, the Republican party, or
anywhere in between, social media heavily influenced the way that platforms
were laid out and the way that campaigns were run. Instead of people watching
the debates at home or viewing commercials on their televisions, a lot of the
presidential election action occurred online. Even when things were released on
television, they were usually published online as well. This prevalence of
political action on social media because many people do not have cable/satellite
television, the domino effect and how quickly things can be shared, and the ability
for ordinary citizens to interact with other citizens and politicians quickly,
easily, and efficiently. Many people, whether it is by choice or due to some
other circumstance, do not have cable, personally, it was a useless expense to
me because I feel that I can access anything I want to as long as I can connect
to the internet. I was able to view any footage I wanted to view about any of
the candidates just by using search bars online or tuning into what people were
viewing and discussing on Facebook or Twitter. This ties into the ability for
news and information to spread like wildfire. Things I wanted to see, typically
someone else had already shared on Facebook or mentioned on Twitter. Everyone
seems to have an opinion when it comes to politics, so it’s sort of a mutual
interest for nearly everyone. So, Donald Trump posts something then my friend’s
cousin’s uncle shares it, then my friend’s cousin shares it, then my friend
shares it, then there it is, on my timeline. Multiply that by thousands and Donald
Trump’s post is all across the world in minutes. Social media also allows for
ordinary people to Tweet directly to a politician or post to their Facebook
wall (it is important to note that these politicians often have others running
their accounts for them.) Even though the politician may not be the direct recipient
of the tweet or Facebook post, those who are running the accounts for the
politician can pass along messages or even get a general idea of how the public
is feeling about certain topics and issues based on what they are receiving on
social media.
A study done in 2016 by
the Pew Research Center shows alarming results of how people were feeling about
the political environment on social media. Many people expressed discontent and
wariness with the amount and types of political posts they were seeing on
Facebook and Twitter.
Kati's Social Media Story
A couple of years ago, a student right here at Northern Kentucky
University, felt the firsthand effects of what it’s like for her own post on
social media to go viral. Kati, a now friend of mine and a classmate, was
devastated when she misplaced her wallet only to find it a few minutes later,
with two-hundred and forty dollars in cash missing. In a frantic, she ran to
the nearest emergency call switch to call the on-campus police and file a
police report. What she did not expect was for the police officer to reach into
his own wallet and hand her his own money to replace what had been stolen from
her. After the incident occurred, Kati uploaded this video to her Facebook
page.
Not long after she
posted the video, it went viral. Kati said, “I posted the video because I had just
made a status about someone stealing my wallet and it had a ton of concern. So,
I figured instead of trying to type what happened to keep family and friends
updated, I would just make a video. I had no idea [it would receive the
attention that it did.] All I knew is I went to work and forgot about posting
it really and then people -news channels and people trying to pay back Officer
Liles- were calling Hooters asking to talk with me. My manager went to my
Facebook and saw how many views it had in an hour's time, and then called me in
the office to tell me. I received mostly a good response. People from all
over were messaging me and adding me [as a friend on Facebook.] It got to the
point that no one could even add me on Facebook anymore. Some people even tried
to pay my tuition. Officer Liles ended up getting paid back by his department
and getting recognized, his GoFundMe raised $3,300 that he donated to the
Wounded Warriors Project, and a kind person who happened to work somewhere in
South Carolina sent him [Officer Liles] and his sons on a cruise.” Like Kati
said, she was reached out to by news channels, and everyone was covering her
story.
Social Media for a Cause, Pt. 2
Mannequin Challenge
The Mannequin Challenge
is when a group of people take part in a video, but appear to be motionless or
frozen, like mannequins. The ultimate goal is for every person in the video to
remain COMPLETELY motionless (like, not even blink) as the camera pans through
the scene. This sounds a little weird if you have never actually taken part in
or viewed a mannequin challenge, but it has actually been a really unique and
popular way to bring attention to things, raise awareness for issues, and even
express political messages. Sometimes the videos are just for fun, and
sometimes they represent very serious matters. These videos are mostly to the
song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd (but some of them use other songs instead),
and I’m going to show and discuss a few of them.
The first video that I want to show is relatively
local to my area. It was posted by the Grant County Sheriff’s Department in
Kentucky, and shows the scene of a heroin overdose. Knowing about and being
affected by the heroin epidemic in this region (many of my family members are
addicted to heroin), this video truly brought tears to my eyes. No matter what
your stance on addiction (while addiction IS a disease, a lot of people cannot
seem to agree whether it should be classified as the addict’s fault or not),
this mannequin challenge really tugs at your heart strings, and allows a
platform for discussion. Children and young adults who see this video may be
saved from potential addiction is the future by knowing what a heroin overdose
actually looks like, and it allows them to have that dialogue with their
parents or guardians, or friends or whoever it is that has their best interest
at heart. It allows shows people that maybe feel like society should not care
about addicts (for whatever reason they may feel that way), that it is not JUST
the addict involved. Often times there are so many people around the addict
that are affected by the addiction. Whether it’s parents, siblings, children,
or friends, this video opens your eyes and SHOWS you that, even if you do not
care about the heroin addict, someone else does and that someone needs the
addict to recover, too.
Another Mannequin Challenge
that I want to show you is a Mannequin Challenge from the Black Lives Matter
community which flashes through a few different instances of police brutality.
What REALLY made this Mannequin Challenge strong is the use of sound/sound
effects. You can hear the dialogue between civilian and police officer, and it
is not just made up dialogue, it is actual dialogue that was caught on footage
of real events involving police officers and civilians. It pans through the
instances of Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, and Trayvon
Martin. It also shows Professional football player Colin Kaepernick kneeling on
the side of the road (Kaepernick is known for kneeling during the national
anthem of NFL games to protest inequality) while a Malcom X speech is playing.
You can see protesters standing in a group as the scene comes to an end with
the sound of a hospital monitor flatlining. In my opinion, this Mannequin
Challenge speaks volumes.
Social Media for a Cause, Pt. 1
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:
First, I’d like to start this post off by explaining what
ALS is. ALS, short for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a progressive
neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spine.
People who are diagnosed with ALS are only expected to live for about two to
five years after their diagnoses. In 2014, a golfer in Florida by the name of
Chris Kennedy was nominated by a friend to do the “Ice Bucket Challenge” which
involved dumping (or having someone else dump) a bucket of ice water on
you(rself), and, when Kennedy was dared to do this, it had nothing to do with
ALS, but instead participants would take part in the challenge (which was
typically recorded and posted on social media), and then donate money to any
charity of their choosing. Once the video was uploaded, the participants could
choose people on their friends list and challenge them to do the same. Kennedy,
who had known someone suffering with ALS, chose ALS as his desired charity,
which, on July 15, 2014, appears to be the first time that the Ice Bucket
Challenge and ALS were linked. Kennedy then challenged a few others who he knew
would not turn him down, and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge began to spread under
various hashtags. The challenge eventually reached Pat Quinn of Yonkers, NY,
who was also diagnosed with ALS. The campaign spread through Quinn’s social
media community and ultimately reached Pete Frates, who was very involved in
the ALS community and also had a large follower base. Frates posted his own
video on July 31, 2014 and the challenge went viral. The ALS association started
seeing a serious uptick in donations, which is believed to be a total of two-hundred
and twenty MILLION dollars! A year later, scientists claim that that money
helped them to uncover a gene that is linked to ALS and had previously not been
discovered. This infographic shows the history of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Social Media for a Cause, Intro.
In addition to the various other ways that people are
utilizing social media, many organizations and individuals are turning to social
media and its power as a means of mass communication to raise awareness to
causes. This works because of the power of sharing and, in some cases, the
interactivity that allows people to PHYSICALLY get involved instead of JUST
financially. This topic, along with many others can be tied back to some of the previous topics that I have discussed
such as: celebrities on social media, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and using
social media as a fundraising tool.
Fundraising on Social Media
Not only are people using social media for business
purposes, as a means of communication, and as a way to remain social/express
themselves, but many people have taken advantage of social media as a quick
means of communication to raise funds for various causes. Certain sites are
geared specifically at raising money. Some of these sites are merely an
existing platform to allow you to communicate your cause and pull funds in in a
way that people can feel secure about donating money, while some provide that
platform, but keep a percentage of the funds donated as a profit, and others
allow you to create your own website to raise money. People have been able to
raise generous amounts of money using these sites. I know a family who turned
to the popular GoFundMe.com to try and raise $10,000 for the medical bills of
one member of the family, and once the story began to spread (it was even
featured on the local news), so many people donated that the family exceeded
their goal by more than $30,000. Their grand total was just over $40,000! It’s
truly incredible if you ask me. Some of the sites that people are using for
crowdfunding/fundraising are:
and
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