Impact of FacebookShaping and Impacting Social Change
An Instrument for Social Change
“Social networking platforms give nonprofits a forum for meeting like-minded organizations and potential supporters, and provide a medium for spreading their message beyond the immediate community”
Allan Rosenblatt, Executive Director of the Internet Advocacy Center
*Image is from http://zackhayhurst.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/
2Rhonda Albritton: Impact of Facebook Shaping Social Change
Impact of the Instrument
Facebook is impacting the way political and social actions are organized today
Facebook has the most traffic and biggest reach amongst all social networks now
There are well over 300 million users
3Rhonda Albritton: Impact of Facebook Shaping Social Change
How Did Facebook Come About?Brief Overview: The Humble Beginnings
In 2004, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg created a publication called thefacebook on campus
It’s purpose was to familiarize students with one another
“The facebook” became so popular and grew beyond Harvard’s campus
4Rhonda Albritton: Impact of Facebook Shaping Social Change
Facebook Features
Users can create a profile displaying Users can create a profile displaying friends and information about friends and information about themselvesthemselves
A profile typically includes a Friends list, Information (Wall), Photos, Notes, Groups, News Feeds, Message Box (Inbox, Sent, Compose Messages)
5Rhonda Albritton: Impact of Facebook Shaping Social Change
Facebook Groups: Great Tool for Social Activist Groups
6Rhonda Albritton: Impact of Facebook Shaping Social Change
Groups created in Facebook can allow social change organizations to tap into an existing audience with similar interests
A mission can be spread further and reached by more people of groups with similar interests
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Advantages of Using Facebookfor Social Change
In Barranquilla Colombia:
Oscar Morales Guevara started a Facebook group in protest of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (aka FARC)
He created an Events page that largely attracts over 100,000 interested participants
The Cons of Using FacebookFor Social Change
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A tedious task is ahead
of usAre they
joining the Group out of
“Friend” Obligation?
Is real commitment
involved?Users prefer the
old-fashioned email method of communication
Will our mission be just a fad?
Is Facebook a Viable Platform?
There have been successes for using Facebook as a form of social change
Groups can be mobilized through this networking tool
Users have created Facebook pages with Events that have attracted participants in the masses
There is a lot of growing that needs to be done but Facebook can still be an integral tool
Sources:
Slide 2http://zackhayhurst.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/
Slide 3http://www.drdigipol.com/
Slide 5http://networkforgood.org
Slide [email protected]