#n8002185

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Media and Political Engagement

Unless you’ve been living under a rock it’s no shock that the use of social media is becoming a feature of political and civic engagement. Whether it's raising awareness or calling citizens to action, technology has played a significant role in connecting people with a common goal of change. “Messaging through email, Facebook rally invites and change.org petitions are now the norm for many activists.” (Peters, 2011) “As the communications landscape gets denser, more complex, and participatory, the networked population is gaining greater access to information thus creating opportunities to engage in public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action.” If we take a look back to the 1990’s, this is when it all started. A platform, which has grown and flourished at an astounding rate, can be seen as important influences when observing the London Riots or the warfare in Syria. “With the Web 2.0 movement and social networking boom of recent years, just about everyone has a voice via the Internet — and many are using theirs to mobilize.” (Peters, 2011) “Social Media has also rapidly grown in importance as a forum for political activism in its different forms.” (EPRS, 2014) Social media technologies, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube enable creative ways to fuel citizen engagement in political life, where elections and electoral campaigns have a central role. (EPRS, 2014) When I analyse my generation it is obvious that it’s the younger users who are more likely to “post their own thoughts about issues, post links to political material, encourage others to take political action, belong to a political group on a social networking site, follow elected officials on social media, and like or promote political material others have posted.” (LEE RAINIE, 2012) An interesting point made by Clay Shirky and an idea, which I strongly agree, is her view being “the potential of social media lies mainly in their support of civil society and the public sphere.” (Shirky, 2011) Online activism continues to evolve rapidly and in this ever-changing world of social media, the position of "armchair activist" is open to all. Nowadays just by changing your profile picture you can raise awareness, share videos and articles and keep in touch with charities by liking their pages. “Making a difference seems pretty easy in the digital age. But is your contribution any deeper than a click?” (Tostevin, 2014) Yes the digital age may enrich the power of those that are already active, “but it can't seem to drag the rest out of their armchairs.” (Tostevin, 2014) Whatever the case, it’s now plain and simple or should I say to the majority of citizens it is plain and simple, online activism isn’t the anonymous and risk-free action that many have once assumed it to be. Bibliography EPRS. (2014, 2 12). The role played by social media in political participation and electoral campaigns. Retrieved 5 4, 2014, from European Parliamentary Research Service : http://epthinktank.eu/2014/02/12/the-role-played-by-social-media-in-political-participation-and-electoral-campaigns/ Keane, B. (2011, 7 29). Dispatches from the information wars: online activism on the move. Retrieved 5 4, 2014, from Crikey : http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/07/29/dispatches-from-the-information-wars-online-activism-on-the-move/ LEE RAINIE, A. S. (2012, 10 19). Social Media and Political Engagement. Retrieved 5 4, 2014, from Pew Research : http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/10/19/social-media-and-political-engagement/ Peters, M. (2011, 8 16). A Brief History of Online Activism. Retrieved 5 4, 2014, from Mashable : http://mashable.com/2011/08/15/online-activism/ Shirky, C. (2011, 1). The Political Power of Social Media. Retrieved 5 4, 2014, from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media Tostevin, R. (2014, 3 14). Online activism: it's easy to click, but just as easy to disengage. Retrieved 5 4, 2014, from The Guardian : http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/mar/14/online-activism-social-media-engage

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Viral Media

What was it about a piece of content an article, a picture, a video that took it from simply interesting to interesting and shareable? What pushes someone not only to read a story but to pass it on? I have often wondered what could make content for example, a speech persuasive and memorable, so that its ideas would pass from person to person. Lets take a look at an aggressive letter, published in early January of 2014, which has since gone viral, earning Wisken laughter in some corners of the Internet and condemnation in others. “As rage letters go, they don't come much more furious than the message sent to an Australian airline by a passenger seated next to a man as big as 'an infant hippopotamus' and who smelled like 'blue cheese' and a 'Mumbai slum'.” (Morley, 2014) Australian Rich Wisken composed a hilarious and offensive blog post “demanding compensation from Jetstar for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by being swamped in human blubber for four hours". (Morley, 2014) I couldn’t help but wonder what it was that made this blog post go viral? Has the evolution of media changed the way we view and interpret content? A report by Joshua Green and Henry Jenkins “believe that there are still people who are "listening" and "watching" the media produced by others, but, we argue that they listen and watch differently in a world where they know they have the potential to contribute than in a world where they are locked out of active meaningful participation.” (Green & Jenkins, 2011) By far the most important factor in getting people to share a post is the actual quality of the content in the eyes of the community. To share, they have to love what they see. Green and Jenkins also display a similar observation believing “...audiences play an active role in ‘spreading’ content: their choices, their investments and their actions determine what gets valued.” (Green & Jenkins, 2011) I believe it all comes down to ethics, emotion, logic, credibility, worthy and does it appeal to me, all of which are factors, which dictate the nature of our reaction to certain things. If you look at the last few links you shared on your Facebook page or Twitter stream, or the last article you e-mailed or recommended to a friend, chances are good that they’ll fit into those categories. I don’t think there is any secret technique to generating viral content but the idea that online publishers now need to compete for “likes” rather than clicks and must focus of creating things that’s people genuinely find engaging enough to share. Bibliography Green, J., & Jenkins, H. (2011). The handbook of media audiences. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell. Morley, B. (2014, 1 3). Did you really have to belittle an innocent man to get attention? Nope. No you . Retrieved 3 23, 2014, from Mama Mia : http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/jetstar-complaint-letter/