There are many factors that guide an individual’s decision to publicly engage with social media and non-restricted Internet content platforms. One is the individual’s comfort level with sharing details about their lives with the world at large.
Read MoreOne of the defining characteristics of social media is how it gives one person the power to connect with the world, making it relatively easy for an individual to create change without the message amplification apparatus previously available only to large organizations. The constraint of needing a large bureaucracy being removed, any motivated individual with an Internet connection has the potential to generate a powerful campaign for social change.
Read MoreMuch has been made of the importance of social media with respect to its ability to shape public discourse and produce “real change.” To fairly evaluate such claims — and distinguish impactful social media campaigns from those that are mocked as mere couch-based “slacktivism” — we must first establish criteria for change that can be considered significant or meaningful, that is, “real.”
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