Recently I posted a YouTube video entitled “Making the
Impossible Possible” wherein I expressed a strong optimism about the ability of social media
technology to reach out and affect real change in the world.
I would like to attempt to revisit that discussion using additional
context from the article “Small Change: Why the Revolution will not be Tweeted”
(Gladwell, 2010)
After reflecting on Malcolm Gladwell’s article, I realize
that perhaps my assertions were a little bit one-sided. Having never been a
part of any “real” revolution, my thoughts on social media’s role in activism
are influenced by a very limited set of information sources, none of which are
personal experience.
So far, my humanitarian deeds have been limited to a few high-school
abortion protests, some Christian leadership retreats and the occasional donation
through Goodwill or at a Walmart checkout counter. I help the people around me
and try to give time to people when they need it. Sure I’m making progress. But,
in reality, not one of these utilizes social media channels to get the job
done.
I “like” posts related to causes that I feel connected to. I
am a Pitbull lover. I have 3 in my family and all of them are sweeter than any
other breed of dog I’ve met. I don’t understand why people fear them so much
and why a breed specific ban is in place against them. Whenever I see a post in
support of banning the Pitbull ban, I almost always click the like button at
least and sometime I share it. I know that because I clicked like there is a
chance that some of the 200 something connections on my friends list will see
it and maybe they will share it. I know that it might create buzz about the
topic. But, when I really think about it, it usually doesn’t result in “real
social change”.
Clicking a small link on a busy Facebook page in hopes that somebody
else might see it on their busy page, at best, will probably result in them
doing the same. By the same token, there is always the off chance that one of those
people might be looking for a pet and – seeing that post – decides to adopt a
Pitbull, saving its life.
The way that the average person normally uses social media is
probably not going to lead to a revolution. We have seen seeming exceptions to
this rule, when somebody starts something huge using the power of a tweet. However,
they are probably not what you might think of as “average people”, but are in actuality
extraordinary revolutionaries and organizations. For example, the #Occupy
movements which took off in late 2011 and throughout 2012 and still continue –
though on a lesser scale – to the present day. (See this Wikipedia article
for more on the occupy movement.)
Social media is nothing more than a new vehicle which can be
used to communicate in new ways and with fewer boundaries. Like a car, truck,
train or plane, some of these social media sites have more potential momentum
than others, but all of them stand still without somebody piloting.
So, yes, I think social media has the potential to help
assist people in bringing about real social change. However, I think that large
scale social change is still fueled by the people behind the scenes as it
always has been. Social media sites provide new ways to communicate. It is up
to the activist individuals and organizations to harness those communication
tools and to put them to use to create change.
(See: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell)
