How does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?
In this excerpt from Media and Social Justice, Clark and Aufderheide (2011) discuss how inclusion in public media is a top priority:
Inclusion is not just a side issue in public media. In order to function well, public media projects and platforms designed to engage stakeholders around issues must be both accessible to and representative of the entire population. … Inclusion must therefore be a top priority when creating policies and infrastructures for the new public media; otherwise the system will have failed from the start.
pp. 62-63.
The authors then go on to state that these ideas are much easier to implement given the technology we have. However, many of the projects (like outlets serving communities of colour, independent media projects, etc) designed to bring in new perspectives and inclusive views are suffering from a lack of resources and visibility, which are overshadowed by larger public organizations (Clark and Aufderheide, 2011, p. 63). Often, I find that a lot of social justice or inclusion issues can be ignored or not properly addressed by bigger media outlets. Some of the most insightful info that I discover about a subject comes from smaller social media accounts on Instagram.
For example, when the news covers a story such as the Fairy Creek blockades, they may focus only on the protesters or the logging company, and leave out important details such as the Indigenous community that is involved, or the government’s lack of action. Then, I go on to Instagram and see that one of the people I follow re-post something to their story from a smaller account, that gives me so much more information and facts that the news simply does not cover. We are often blinded on social media when it comes to advocacy communications, and we can sometimes get confused as to what to believe based on who said what and where the information comes from.
How diverse is your existing PLN?
My PLN right now is relatively diverse, however I would really like to work towards making it even more diverse and getting more experience interacting with advocacy and inclusive education. Even from starting this course, I have expanded my network far more. In Jesse’s interview with Markiel Simpson, he says that he “doesn’t know how much of [his] educational background has come into play with most of [his] work, especially because the majority of what [he] speaks to and what resonates with other people comes from [his] own experience” (Simpson, 2021, 10:25-10:37). Markiel goes on to say that one of his teachers told him “you are the expert of your own lived experience”, and I think this part really resonated with me! A lot of what I am going to be doing as a teacher will not necessarily come from my degree. A lot of it is going to be from experience and how I am able to connect with the world around me via my PLN, in order to best teach my students. By diversifying my PLN and advocating for inclusion and social justice, I think that I can become a better educator.
In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices?
I would like to think that in my PLN I am learning from a variety of voices. A lot of the people that I follow on Instagram are constantly updating their stories about advocacy and allyship among minorities. I am always looking for ways to be better and do better, and I think that within my network, I am able to learn a lot from small communities and friends. I am hoping that as I begin to be more of a resident on Twitter and making some professional second accounts, I will be able to follow and interact more with people from all over the world with diverse backgrounds and experience. In using my PLN, I think that this is the best way for me to learn and stay connected to inclusion efforts and social justice issues.
How does social media engage in advocacy communications?
In Shelley Moore’s interview with Jesse, she discusses how during COVID, she started a “virtual bookclub”, where her social media following made her realize how “those followers aren’t just followers, they’re colleagues that I can also learn from, they are a community that I didn’t think could exist virtually” (Moore, 2021. 9:23-9:36). In Shelley’s case, her view of the virtual community around her has shifted, where it has helped to prop up her career and allow her to learn and evolve from all these people who are in her community. This is a great example of how social media can engage in advocacy communications. When you are a member of a virtual community surrounding a topic such as a disability, your career, or even your favourite band, you can learn so much from the people in that community who are dealing with different situations or have a lot of experience involving that certain topic. Social media is a great tool to connect with others in real time, any where in the world. You can get information out quickly and efficiently, which can then be shared everywhere, even cross platform. You can use hashtags, share something on your story, or post about it.
For example, with the recent story of the 215 Indigenous children found at the Kamloops residential school, there was a mass use of social media to get the word out and raise awareness about the atrocity. Very quickly, stories and posts were being uploaded, and various hashtags all over Twitter and Instagram like #215children or #OrangeShirtDay were being used. The following Monday, teachers, students, and people all over Canada were wearing their orange shirts on Monday (and throughout the week) in support against the recent discovery. This is just one recent example of how well social media can work when it comes to advocacy communications. These platforms can get information out fast and virally, so people all over the world can be an advocate and ally, and share their support in whichever way they want to.
References:
Clark, J. & Aufderheide, P. (2011). “A New Vision for Public Media: Open, Dynamic, and Participatory .” Media and Social Justice, pp. 55–67. DOI 10.1057/9780230119796
Moore, Shelley. “EDCI 338 – 20 Minutes Moore.” Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, 30 May 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSV0rUl1bA&ab_channel=MILLER
Simpson, Markiel. “EDCI – 338 MARKIEL SIMPSON”. Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, 1 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsoDHGaXNNs&ab_channel=MILLER