AC2.2 Writeup
One method used in campaigns for change is social media which is a form of electronic
communication that people can use to socialise and reach out to one another. Social media
is very popular in society, with over 4 billion people using it worldwide and that number
always increasing. A strength of using social media as a campaign method is that almost
everyone has access to social media so campaign information can spread fast if the
campaign makes a social media account and posts information about itself since the
purpose of social media is to connect others and be fast to access certain information. This
then causes a snowball effect to occur since people who see this information can share it to
other people so more and more people will be informed about the cause, meaning more
and more people have a chance of joining the cause. Another strength of social media is
that it makes it very easy for people to ask for more information about the cause, since
campaign accounts can simply link documents, websites and all sorts of material which
provides more information if people want to actively know about the campaign and find
ways to actively join and fight for the cause. Social media can also act as a way for
campaigns to show solidarity between those who have experienced what they are fighting
for; an example of this would be #MeToo which is a social media-based campaign that
centres around twitter and allows people to use the hashtag to explain their experiences
with sexual assault and harassment. The hashtag is also used on any social media platform
and can be used by anyone whether they’re sharing an experience or just showing solidarity
to the cause. This was very successful as the hashtag was used by more than 4.7 million
people in 12 million posts in the first 24 hours and is still being used to this day. While social
media has many strengths and good points to it, there are also a few bad points and
weaknesses to it. One weakness of social media is that campaigns are at risk of electronic
threats such as hackers and trolls who may purposefully comment rude or hateful things
under a campaigns post. This is a weakness as it means everyone can see these hateful
comments and may get the wrong idea about the campaign since it is being seen in a bad
light, therefore, deterring people from joining the cause. Another limitation of social media
is that while it is a good awareness tool, it’s not a very good action tool: people can simply
retweet a post a campaign makes and not do anything else to support the campaign so
while the message is getting spread everywhere: not everyone is getting involved. It also can
be a very two-faced deal for some people as they might retweet about a campaign for hate
crime but then do nothing if they see it happening in real life, therefore, rendering social
media pointless since the goal for every campaign is to get more people to actively try and
make a change.
One method used in campaigns for change is social media which is a form of electronic
communication that people can use to socialise and reach out to one another. Social media
is very popular in society, with over 4 billion people using it worldwide and that number
always increasing. A strength of using social media as a campaign method is that almost
everyone has access to social media so campaign information can spread fast if the
campaign makes a social media account and posts information about itself since the
purpose of social media is to connect others and be fast to access certain information. This
then causes a snowball effect to occur since people who see this information can share it to
other people so more and more people will be informed about the cause, meaning more
and more people have a chance of joining the cause. Another strength of social media is
that it makes it very easy for people to ask for more information about the cause, since
campaign accounts can simply link documents, websites and all sorts of material which
provides more information if people want to actively know about the campaign and find
ways to actively join and fight for the cause. Social media can also act as a way for
campaigns to show solidarity between those who have experienced what they are fighting
for; an example of this would be #MeToo which is a social media-based campaign that
centres around twitter and allows people to use the hashtag to explain their experiences
with sexual assault and harassment. The hashtag is also used on any social media platform
and can be used by anyone whether they’re sharing an experience or just showing solidarity
to the cause. This was very successful as the hashtag was used by more than 4.7 million
people in 12 million posts in the first 24 hours and is still being used to this day. While social
media has many strengths and good points to it, there are also a few bad points and
weaknesses to it. One weakness of social media is that campaigns are at risk of electronic
threats such as hackers and trolls who may purposefully comment rude or hateful things
under a campaigns post. This is a weakness as it means everyone can see these hateful
comments and may get the wrong idea about the campaign since it is being seen in a bad
light, therefore, deterring people from joining the cause. Another limitation of social media
is that while it is a good awareness tool, it’s not a very good action tool: people can simply
retweet a post a campaign makes and not do anything else to support the campaign so
while the message is getting spread everywhere: not everyone is getting involved. It also can
be a very two-faced deal for some people as they might retweet about a campaign for hate
crime but then do nothing if they see it happening in real life, therefore, rendering social
media pointless since the goal for every campaign is to get more people to actively try and
make a change.
