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

Rhonda Albritton: Impact of Facebook Shaping Social Change

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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

(fundacion@millondevoces.org)

The Cons of Using FacebookFor Social Change

Rhonda Albritton: Impact of Facebook Shaping 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 7fundacion@millondevoces.org