AC 2.2- Evaluate the effectiveness of media used in
campaigns for change [15 marks]
Social media
Bringing change or awareness about a cause through the use of social media, by
posting or sharing ones thought about a particular event or issue. Social media for
over a decade has allowed easier and simpler access to important issues, whether
that be from the past or present.
Strengths
In the past social media has allowed the rise in awareness for issues occurring in the
world that don’t receive a lot of public attention. Social media is a good method for
organisations to reach out to the public and share links to donation sites. In 2014, the
ASL Ice Bucket challenge was a fun trend for Instagram and YouTube accounts, this
initially led to a raise of £100 million pounds. With online activism/ campaigning on
the rise, social media users are able to get information quickly about global issues. It
has become ‘trendy’ to carry around reusable straws and water bottles, and ideas
like thrift hopping and vegetarianism are becoming more popular with adolescents.
The power of social media exists in its ability to spread information quickly, posts can
start conversation about what is going on in the world, or at least get people thinking
about what their stance is on certain issues.
One of the biggest advantages of social media campaigning is the ability to connect
with a large community and potentially globalise campaigns. It offers instant
connectivity to a potentially huge audience to spread messages and campaigns and
social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow disparate groups to mobilise
faster than ever before. Beyond this, it also enables anyone with access to the
internet to have a platform for their voice.
Weaknesses
Social media can also be harmful in the sense that many people share stories on a
topic without really knowing the facts behind the issues, and this lack of
understanding often leads to the spread of fake news. Despite its advantages, social
media's extensive network of communication can give rise to some rather divisive
views. People frequently become villainised due to the collective acts of their group.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to only consider data that confirms our views.
campaigns for change [15 marks]
Social media
Bringing change or awareness about a cause through the use of social media, by
posting or sharing ones thought about a particular event or issue. Social media for
over a decade has allowed easier and simpler access to important issues, whether
that be from the past or present.
Strengths
In the past social media has allowed the rise in awareness for issues occurring in the
world that don’t receive a lot of public attention. Social media is a good method for
organisations to reach out to the public and share links to donation sites. In 2014, the
ASL Ice Bucket challenge was a fun trend for Instagram and YouTube accounts, this
initially led to a raise of £100 million pounds. With online activism/ campaigning on
the rise, social media users are able to get information quickly about global issues. It
has become ‘trendy’ to carry around reusable straws and water bottles, and ideas
like thrift hopping and vegetarianism are becoming more popular with adolescents.
The power of social media exists in its ability to spread information quickly, posts can
start conversation about what is going on in the world, or at least get people thinking
about what their stance is on certain issues.
One of the biggest advantages of social media campaigning is the ability to connect
with a large community and potentially globalise campaigns. It offers instant
connectivity to a potentially huge audience to spread messages and campaigns and
social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow disparate groups to mobilise
faster than ever before. Beyond this, it also enables anyone with access to the
internet to have a platform for their voice.
Weaknesses
Social media can also be harmful in the sense that many people share stories on a
topic without really knowing the facts behind the issues, and this lack of
understanding often leads to the spread of fake news. Despite its advantages, social
media's extensive network of communication can give rise to some rather divisive
views. People frequently become villainised due to the collective acts of their group.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to only consider data that confirms our views.
