The main purpose of social media is to make it easier for people to stay connected with family and friends around the world. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube have created a space where people can share pictures, videos, and generally keep in touch. In recent years, organizations have been finding new ways to utilize these social mediums to spread their message and reach more people.
At the US Social Forum, the workshop “Social Networking for Social Justice”, facilitated by Attica Scott of Kentucky JwJ and Shameka Parrish-Wright of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, illustrated some of the ways that social media can aid in the fight for social justice.
For social justice organizations, one of the main advantages of using social networking to spread a message or further a movement is that it’s FREE. Social media is like free advertising – you can say all that you need to say and reach so many people without having to pay a dime. Another advantage to using social media is that you can present your message in a fun interactive way, and in ways that will attract new comers and keep the interest of already loyal followers.
Using social media can also help breathe new life into longtime causes by introducing them to the younger audiences that social networking websites often cater to. Attica and Shameka gave the fun example of the part Facebook played in thrusting actor Betty White back into the spotlight. People on Facebook made the request in significant numbers for Betty White to host Saturday Night Live and guess what — it happened!
Another inspiring example given was how a youth-based organization was able to do an impromptu protest with significant turn-out on short notice. After an incident where members were racially discriminated against, the organization quickly spread the word about a protest on Facebook and Twitter and people responded by showing up to support them. After the protest, they posted a video of the action on YouTube. It was amazing to see the number of people who showed up on such short notice. It just goes to show the power of social networking and its potential to make things happen.
Attica and Shameka gave tips on how to use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and talked about some general DO’s and DON’T’s guidelines for using social media to the advantage of a social justice organization.
SOCIAL NETWORKING DO’s:
- Post pictures, videos, events, interesting articles and discussion questions. Give people a reason to follow you or become your friend by making your account interactive.
- Post often but not too frequently
- Keep twitter tweets short. Remember you only have 140 characters and some may want to retweet you.
- Retweet and give credit to the tweet originator (the person who tweeted something first).
- Thank people for following you or retweeting you with a personal direct message (DM on Twitter).
- Be mindful of your profile picture and account name as to not distract people from the information being posted.
SOCIAL NETWORKING DON’T’s:
- Use your organization or group page as your personal page.
- Set up your group or organization page using a personal profile account, use a group account or organizational page account. You lose important capabilities such as mass messaging everyone in the group.
- Overwhelm people with too much information. Be careful not to clog people’s inboxes, timelines, and news feeds.
- If fundraising, don’t list donor names. If you do choose to, make sure you include all donors.
Ashley Phillips is an intern at the Jobs with Justice national office.
