Since this case has gotten so much publicity there has been a ton of social media groups and individuals trying to do what they can to make a difference and raise awareness. One of the first instances I saw of this was when a friend of mine tweeted "why isn't #TrayvonMartin or #BoMorrison trending yet!> raise awareness people!" This simple little tweet made me realize how much of an effect social media can have on people nowadays. After I saw his tweet I followed the hash tags to see if they would catch any sort of trend. Neither one of them has showed up in the today's trends lists yet as far as I've seen, but they have caught wind and have been tweeted many times since then.
The other popular social media website, Facebook, has been no slouch either as a way for people to raise awareness. Many groups of friends, professionals, classes, and individuals have been taking pictures or making videos to support the cause of injustice. I am in a singing group on campus called Pitches and Notes, and we joined in with the cause as well. Using what we had to make ourselves unified as one group, we took a picture to spread awareness of what we believe to be injustice. The picture represents our disagreement with the comment made on the news by Geraldo Rivera. "'I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as much as George Zimmerman was," the Fox News host said Friday on Fox and Friends" (usatoday.com). We posted it on Facebook that night and got many hits and comments on it, both positive and negative.
Linking in recent and popular news with new media ways is an excellent way for people to stay connected to what's going on in the world around them. A lot of times I hear about news on Facebook or Twitter before I have the chance to read the newspaper (or more realistically look on a news website). I think it's an awesome things, especially for people of my generation. We don't read or watch as much of the news as other generations do, but we are still expected to know what is going on around us. The way that news has interconnected itself with social media sites is a great way to spread awareness.
Pitches and Notes: Respect and Remember <3
I totally agree with you about the importance of Facebook and other social media networks in terms of keeping up with the news around the world. I always find out about huge events through other people on Facebook, considering I rarely read the newspaper or watch the news on television. I have found it so helpful to have these tools in order to stay updated and worldly. In terms of the Trayvon case, I also agree that social media is a great way for people to come together and fight for what they believe in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Ariel too. I think that social media is a great way of spreading the importance of issues like this. I have personally seen many wall post and tweets on the issues, and was even invited to events on campus regarding these boys. I think in this way, social media is a positive influence on society because it allows people to come together and spread awareness.
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