Social Activism

Social media serve an important role in campaigns whether it’s presidential elections or a gay right movement. Social media can really increase the awareness of the campaign by marketing it to a wide network. The posts, blogs, tweets, likes, or shares will engage audiences and get them involved in the campaign. As I previously mentioned in my earlier blog , Social Media Trends in Presidential Elections, social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are primary avenues for online campaigning. They have a goal to reach out to millions of users of all demographics. Social campaigns creates a marketplace that encourages consumer engagement. Online buzz makes your campaign more valuable. Social media platforms allows brands and companies to engage in new opportunities but also to create awesome campaigns. Social media tracks how people are enjoying and participating in a campaign. It allows participants to provide feedback which makes it interactive.

 

 

You may ask, “Do viral campaigns on social media make adifference?”. As you may know there has been much deliberation for same-sex marriages. Religious and Republican communities have much to say about this very controversial topic. But, I know you have seen the red equal signs this past week. Whether it was on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The Human Rights Campaign icon was originally blue and yellow but they altered it to red to represent LOVE. According to the blog the image for marriage equality has been searched more than 1 million times on Google and has been shared more than 100,000 times from its initial Facebook posting on Monday. I think it’s amazing how powerful social media can be. As millions of people from all over shared the new altered logo throughout the World-Wide-Web, I strongly felt that the campaign was successful due to social media. It was impactful.  

 

Did you participate in this viral campaign in support of marriage equality?

Trending Sites?

Social Cam “The Instagram for Video”:

Unlike Instagram or Twitter, Social Cam is a free app that allows you to shoot and share video files with friends and family. Social Cam Video app might be just too social. The Social Cam network connects with your facebook friends and adds them automatically. The app can also be annoying because it requires anyone who wants to watch your social cam video to sign up for the service before watching it. Although the features and tools are easy to use the option to watch isn't as easy. The connection to Facebook may be aggravating because maybe some users don’t want their videos to integrate with Facebook. Once a video is made it will be automatically posted to their timeline… doesn't sound too good, now does it? You have to use Social Cam with extreme caution and not activate your automatic sharing on Facebook unless you want everyone to know every video you just recorded.

But for the most part Social Cam is just like any other social site and it requires your e-mail to sign up. The easy to read and navigate labels include: Videos, Popular, The Red Dot (launches video camera on), Friends, and Activity. Similar to recording on your phone, you are to press the red record button on the screen to start shooting. But what I love about social cam is the various filters by simply swiping the screen. The filters include: Electronic, negative, Kodak, noire, grunge, action, bleach, rouge, vice, and 1970s effect. The filter and other effects are added as soon as you begin recording. It provides the users with a fun experience when recording. After you finish you have the option to add a “theme” and which style title you want. You can also add music to the background! How cool! But that’s not all! You even get to control the volume of the music by using the slider. Yeah, I know- pretty awesome.

BUT- when you’re finally done with your recording and editing and feeling like Spike Lee you get to save your video public or private. You can publish your video to the Social Cam Feed in which other Social Cam users get to view the video.

Path Changes the Game:

Now, on another hand there’s another app called Path which aims to make social network more personal. Path is an app that is interested in sharing personal moments with a smaller network of friends rather than a large one that you would find on Facebook or Twitter. But this app isn't your ordinary social network. Path is a place where you post photos and videos for your (inner circle). It’s like a diary in which you share more personal things. Because of that close and intimate connection, people are bound to share more as a result of that.

The unique thing about Path is that it picks up the users habits quickly. It registers and saves their favorite places and broadcasts it to their fellow path “followers”.  What others may find to be either an upside or downside, is that Path only allows up to 150 connections.  That is considered to be the upper limit of trusted relationships a person can have. This is the true beauty of Path. Just like other social sites it too integrates with Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Tumblr to allow cross-posting.  At the pace we're going, who knows if the next generation of social media is going to get personal.