Social Media and "Liberty"

The role social media plays can not be undermined. Humanity is inheriting and living in a world that is has been profoundly changed by a combination of roles and norms ascribed by both society and nature and not forgetting the ever evolving technology that has taken a toll on man's existence.Our children are inheriting a world in which technology has taken a leading role in even determining their existence and the kind of interactions they have. They take for granted that their voices can be heard and capitalize on the fact the social movements can be launched from their portable laptops within their living rooms. Interpersonal relations and connectivity to millions of persons are other aspects that are now also being taken for granted. This is because the masses of people have experienced a shift in the social set up in particular reference to the political system and the rule of law. Human beings have embarked on an individualistic way of life and the central institutions are slowly being rendered "useless" and many are now experiencing a feeling of democracy by the the command which they have over technology. The entire global village is now open to the unlimited consumption by the general public and masses of people. Social media such as Face book, Twitter, My Space is now changing the lives of people in some meaningful way. Collectivity and connectivity has indeed changed the lives of many people as change has become a constant variable which everyone is becoming inclined to and is forced to embrace.

Social media has indeed liberated thousands of people from the "primitive" forms of life for instance has been used for fund raising as seen by the constant calls to join "causes" and champion International causes for one reason or the other. Such events include support of the girl child education, the sanitary towel campaign, campaigns against child sexual abuse and exploitation that have been launched in different parts of our globe.

Many organizations now take recognisance of the large membership scope and have used social media as a tool of advertisement putting into mind the market segmentation. Many products and services from all parts of the world are now being launched and even marketed on the various social networks including face book. Organizations are slowly realising the need to compliment the "traditional" forms of advertising to more audience- appealing strategies and mechanisms. This benefit even goes further to provide the users with an opportunity to rate and advertisement and give a reason for the choice

"Travel the world at a click of a button" is yet another intriguing phenomena that has been introduced by social media. Users are not constrained on the amount of information that they can access to on a particular site or even country. Holiday destinations, tourists attractions, hotels and beaches can be previewed and compared before anyone decides on his/her preferred destination.

Users are now able to Rate a Company and self promote and feedback obtained can be used to either improve the corporate image, service delivery, public relations and the general corporate identity.

Social media has also been able to Unite the world through a video through uploads being made by users from all over the world.

The regular News Feeds have been key to keeping users abreast on current news and any other issues of importance. There is also ease for Cross Posting

You need to be informed so as to inform part 2

Following the central role media plays in the deveoplement process of any country, there is still an increased need to further involve communication, technology and information within policy formulation, adoption of best practises,reasearch and other key processes that coverge to support the media in its agenda setting role.Communication as a tool for social change therefore focuses on different spheres of development including the political, socio- economic and even cultural.

In recent years several International events, coferences and forums including the Nation Pan Africa Conference 2010 have been held to bring together stakeholders from different spheres both from the private and public arena including renow editors, publishers, reporters and news anchores, civil society organization to discuss and investigate the theotreical framework as key agents to development and possible strategies that can be used to attain development.

Key areas of focus include the debate on the freedom to information and how information can be easily acessed by the general public and how stakeholders from different parts of the African continent can pool their resources to realize the development needs of our continent.

You need to be informed so as to inform!

There is a significant body of research on the role that media plays in influencing public opinions and perceptions. While the public largely depends on media such as newspapers,radio and television for its news, the information they receives largely depends on the sources that journalists use to get their information.Following this revelation, there is dire need to increase media literacy among audiences, monitor content and change the kind of news articles that are reported.Other points of importance are on how media can be used to change public opinion and increase public awareness on issues of interest with an aim of creating an equillibrium in society. These concerns are important when investigating the role of the media, information, technology and communication as critical tools for social change.