As learned by the great Martin Luther King, Jr., the word-of-mouth approach is often the most powerful when trying to inflict change in society. However, to credit social media, it too is an outdated method.
Technology and social networks allow people to create and spread a message quickly. WOM is far too slow in comparison. Rather than congregating at bar stools and in parks, people communicate online through chat rooms, social media platforms and on phones. Thus, it is no longer word-of-mouth that present day activists and protestors relay on, instead it is word-of-technology.
Most recently, as the London riots are a relevant example, social media has played a huge roll in rallying folks together, whether it be for the good or bad. It’s through these online social platforms that people are inspired to act. This is what gives social media networks like Twitter and Facebook such incredible social sustainability and value.
Activism and protests in the future will not be able to escape social media. The London riots provide a great case for the said. It’s in these illustrations of social rebellian that the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. can inspire and influence activists and protesters to rethink their social media campaigns. Here’s what MLK can teach us:
Throw Away the Old Model
Rather than using violence as the driving force for his civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. committed to doing things differently. As Facebook and Twitter allows people to be more creative and innovative with change-focused tactics and campaigns, social media will continue to foster alternative ideas to the ways in which activists and protestors brand and promote their causes
Be a Better Activist, Not the Next Social Media Expert
At the root of it all, Dr. King did not study how to be a better public speaker (though he was naturally a fantastic speaker). Instead, he exerted his time and energy in educating himself on the cause he was fighting for. This valuable lesson can be translated directly to today’s digital activism. Many think that it is foremost important to exhaust all efforts into learning how to leverage social media to gain supporters. While that may be helpful, a foundation of knowledge about the supporting cause is what actually possesses the most power.
WWGD?–What Would Gandhi Do?
Mohandas (or Mahatma) Gandhi was Martin Luther King’s inspiration and teacher. Through his example, the lesson is that silence, time, and thought are as attention commanding as the alternative. The aim is for social media to be used as a framework to reinforce this message.
What’s more, it’s to be declared that social media is not the cause of such disgraceful displays of behavior as the London riots. Although, Londoners did use networking forums to capture media attention and like-minded protestors, it is not at the fault of technology that the event happened.
Understand the Consequences
Just as King Jr. was jailed for his protests, many involved in the London riots have reached a similar fate. Even more so today, digital activism creates a higher level of risk for those pursuing a controversial cause, and therefore, those risks and consequences need to be evaluated well before using social media as a vessel for change and recruitment.
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