ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Association and its 38 chapters received four million in donations between July 29 and Aug. 12 alone by introducing a "Ice bucket challenge" to raise awareness. Compare that to the $1.12 million they received in the same time period last year, and the ice bucket challenge's impact is clear. Many people have questioned the relevancy or have chosen to judge those who dump ice water on their heads instead of donate. Since July 29, The ALS Association has received donations from more than 70,000 new donors, which is a testament alone to the impact of spreading awareness and the power a playful viral video can make. Click the video below for an example of the challenge. 

Ice Challenge In Boston 2014

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Video: http://youtu.be/XVUEsQ-rcCw

Cartoon on Facebook Activism

Found this interesting political cartoon on Facebook activism. Check it out, what are your thoughts?

Shonda Speaks on Hastags

Shonda Rhimes made a speech at a university and spoke about people and their "fake" political activism on the internet. She made comments about hashtags that sparked a lot of discussion and debate about internet activism between people who actively use social media in the name of social justice and those who don’t think it “counts as a movement.” Days later, Rhimes even took to Twitter to respond to her critics. Here was her qoute, "Hashtags are very pretty on Twitter. I love them. I will hashtag myself into next week. But a hashtag is not a movement. A hashtag does not make you Dr. King. A hashtag does not change anything. It’s a hashtag. It’s you, sitting on your butt, typing into your computer and then going back to binge-watching your favorite show." I personally LOVED what she said she is dead on in every way. We are not going out and changing these problems, we are just tweeting or posting about for some temporary attention. #POLITICALBUMS

link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/do-hashtags-count-as-activism

Your voice is your social network!

People are using social media to hunt war criminals, win the White House, defeat an American House Speaker, change banking regulations, and overthrow dictators in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen. In each instance it was social media that facilitated broad-based social activism and empowered the aspirations of millions. Its power has just begun to be tested, but the evidence so far indicates that social media has successfully reinvented social activism. YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter; as means for millions of Americans to vent their frustration with the policies of my then-employer, President George W. Bush, and it played a central role in returning the Democrats to power. From Cairo to Tripoli to Wall Street's Zuccotti Park, social media has reduced the cost and complexity of organizing mass numbers of individuals into a single, cohesive, political force. In the process it has redefined social activism. 

link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-pfeifle/social-media-political-activism_b_1594287.html

What a FAKE!

"Something bad has happened, I must show the world I care!!!" What a bucket of poo. I found this article PREACHING on the fact that people are becoming fake political activists on social media. When 244 school girls went missing in Nigeria, thousands of people went to social media and displayed their "outrage". It sounds get and all but it only lasted about two weeks. Many people like to hop on the political activist train when they feel like the issue is a "hot topic". However, it only shows the easy it is for some social media users to lose interest on important issues. People tweet and post on issues going on everyday, but that does not mean they truly care. There are millions who post about protests or awareness or tragic information that is happening in the world but who really cares? A week or even days later you will not hear about it from them anymore. Unless there is a movement going on that makes the headlines, then your social network won't be filled with political activists.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/morgan-levy/rt-if-you-the-rise-in-fak_b_5059780.html

Hong Kong takes a stand!

Hong Kong police reclaimed swaths of an area occupied by pro-democracy protesters on Monday morning after hours of intense fighting which led to scores of injuries and arrests. The fights were perhaps the most violent since the movement began two months ago. Police baton charges left some protesters prostrate and bleeding, while volleys of pepper spray left others vomiting and temporarily blind. At least 40 people were arrested and 40 taken to hospital; one officer was knocked out cold in a scuffle and taken away on a stretcher. The police action began at about 8am when officers took a flyover above the protest encampment, removed a line of hanging pro-democracy banners, and cheered loudly to celebrate their advance. Protesters below hurled insults and held up their middle fingers.

link: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hong-kong-protesters-face-off-police-27260063

Social Media and Politics

I found this interesting video from a professor in Texas discussing the impact of social media in political campaigns. I always knew that social media spreads a vast amount of information to anyone and everyone who has access to these networks. However, it was quite interesting to hear multiple key points relating to how one "tweet" or Facebook post could influence hundreds and even thousands of people. People go to social media as their "political voice", it serves as their communication outlet to highlight their personal political agendas or highlight information on a candidate that is currently running. People vent, and to anyone who knows a thing or two about venting, they know that if it has anything to do with a campaign then candidates better hope social media is not involved. Now, there is such thing as positive political venting and this is 100% what politicians want on social media. It puts them in a "good" light; depending on what side the user is on. You guys should watch the video and learn how your social media account can influence campaigns today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnYvhoRT8jk

Information Networks or Social Networks?

About a year ago Twitter came out with a statement saying that they are not a social network but instead they are a information network. The company even changed their question to Twitter users' status from "what are you doing?" to "whats happening?". I personally like the shift in their network image and think it is a great change to make. According to the article I found, Twitter might have some competition. Facebook and Google+ have been making some changes of their own as well. They both created more opportunities for users to release information and have open discussions with their networks. The only problem with this competition is that Twitter does not have a as many users as these two companies have. It puts more pressure on Twitter to really get their users active on using the network for information and discussions with their peers. I don't think that the threat is as large as the article makes it out to be, but I also believe that Twitter should not put their guard down. People today are already naturally going to social media with current issues and opinions and what ever way that the networks can get us more actively involved, I think will truly change the way we view social media.

Link: http://readwrite.com/2011/09/27/twitter_information_network_strategy_under_pressure

A Changing Media: Social Media is IN!

It seems to me that social media is now the "go to" outlet for any political activism. There are millions of people who are on social media today. Our social media serves as our voice and has a strong impact on how we communicate our message out to people. Even today when we watch the news, we are constantly seeing twitter, Facebook, and other social media names for the network or news reporter. These outlets want us to follow on social media because they know that the majority of their viewers are highly active on social media. In this article it talks a lot about some social media failures and tactics that are used today. I like how the article highlighted the good and the bad. One thing I do know is that the message was clear. Social media is on the rise and is taking leadership in our political communication outlets. I personally like that social media is being used so actively because it shows that more people are being reached and we are able to get more active members with political activism. I have listed the link to the article below, let me know what you think!

link: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media

Everyone can be Media: Don't shoot!

     On Saturday August 9th 2014, 18 year old Michael Brown from Ferguson, Missouri was shot to death by a Ferguson police officer. The family and community were outraged and hurt by this death and found a variety of ways to express their emotions. Many in the city started looting local stores and peaceful protests turned violent. One act that struck media outlets in a more positive light on the case was when universities around the nation started their "Don't Shoot" protests. These protests consisted of students and sometimes younger children gathered around for a protest with their hands up in the air. This was the last gesture shown by Michael Brown before being gunned down by police. Each university would hold this gesture for a photo and later post it to social media and other media sources to raise awareness on police brutality. Many news outlets reported about these students efforts on bringing light to the issue at hand. This type of protest had so much influence that even celebrities began to form their own A-list groups for a don't shoot photo as well. Some news channels were even reporting that people from difference countries joined in the protest. I personally participated in the Kennesaw State NAACP's Don't Shoot silent protest. This just shows that if you have the right number of people who care about the same issues you do, then together you can make a difference and together you can move a nation.

For more information on the Michael Brown case and protests click the link below.

http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/riot-police-tear-gas-pro-democracy-demonstrators-hong-kong