Social media is a term which refers
to the user-generated, participatory applications of information and
communication technologies (ICTs). It is the defining feature of
what some call Web 2.0 (O’Reilly,
2003)
the interactive public sphere of the Internet. Web 2.0 delineates the
participatory infrastructure of the World Wide Web. Its architecture
is rooted in the principles and practices of rich public dialogues.
The impact of social media on the
ways we relate to and communicate with one another has been
significant: over half of the Canadian population is now signed up
for Facebook (SocialBakers.com,
2011)
; over 13 million hours of video footage was uploaded to YouTube in
2010 (SocialMediaObservatory.com,
2011);
and between 2010 and 2011, Twitter activity, measured by tweets per
day, increased by 252% (JeffBullas.com,
2011).
Social media then, provides individuals and organizations with a
free and powerful tool kit for engagement and communication.
In the advertising world this is
translating into social media campaigns around brands and products.
Positive narratives about, and customer engagement with, the campaign
are viewed as the keys to, and measurements of success to the
advertiser. Social media is also a powerful tool for gathering
market research, so that campaigns can be targeted and archives of
user data can be accumulated. Social media campaigns are designed to
sell a product or idea; a campaign is
created around a
brand or product based on an organization’s desire to do so.
In the activism world, this is
translating into social media campaigns for social justice;
fundraising efforts for Tsunami victims (PoliticsOnline.com,
2004)
and the successful of the Egyptian revolution (Wired.com,
2011)
are two powerful examples of how individuals harnessed the power of
social media independently to mobilize and effect positive change.
Social justice campaigns are designed to help and share; a campaign
emerges
around a cause or an issue based on individual response to it.
Next week, Ryakuga will be releasing a handbook for using social
media to augment community radio events, campaigns are blended. The
“product” being sold is individual and community identity, the
positive change desired is sustainable community and individual
self-esteem development. The campaign also allows for an archive of
the event to be created, and can provide a virtual home base for the
community event or station.
Adding a virtual overlay to an
existing community can strengthen the bonds between the people within
it and can have phenomenal positive identity effects (Willson, 2006).
Social media can facilitate the emergence of a community dialogue
using text, photography, video, and sound.
Participating in a community
becomes a specific and deliberative action when social media is used
within it, and active participation becomes documented and archived
for reference. Recognition for participation is given through direct
feedback from other community members, which reinforces feelings of
inclusion and belonging in the participant. Using social media to
participate in a virtually defined community is a self-referential
action and becomes connected to the very essence of the community
itself.
Using social media, community
dialogue is documented as the multitude of voices that participated
using social media tools. It is the whole of the communication
between the community members who created it.
(Charlene Gagnon, 2011)
