Social Media- educator on current affairs?

Many people would assume that social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are primarily for social interactions with other people. Spending hours looking at your friends' latest photos and scrolling through a feed of mundane statuses. Nonetheless, social media now provides the perfect platform for news organisations to present their articles to a new audience.

Retro Facebook

Facebook has seen a boom in news applications with online newspaper sites such as 'The Guardian' and the 'Washington Post' realising they can reach Facebook users. Personal Facebook feeds are filled with articles your friends have been reading. They install the application, read the articles and these then appear on you profile and other people's feeds. People then see these interesting articles and click on the link themselves. This means that so many people get to a greater grasp of current affairs. Facebook is arguably the 'go-to' site for procrastination and people spend so much time on social media, news has integrated itself brilliantly with various platforms. The articles range in topic and seriousness,  for instance, looking at my Facebook feed, one friend is reading 'Ten illegal baby names' and another "How one man escaped from a North Korean Prison'. Perhaps this can be seen a positive procrastination, so much time can be wasted trawling Facebook but now news applications educate users on current affairs. 

There is no doubt Twitter provides a similar platform, one can follow news organisations, journalists, celebrities and friends. These Twitter users tweet articles or simply statuses updating one on issues including politics, sports and showbiz. Additionally, smartphones mean one is never disconnected from this news stream.

Retro Twitter

Pinterest could also signal the next social media platform to educate on current affairs. Pinners can pin images or videos that represent or link to news events. BBC news now has a Pinterest account, although they are yet to pin, the visual eye catching twitter can draw in users to interesting articles and thus educate them on current affairs.

People may see social media as a waste of time, a distraction, but it has the ability to educate its users on current affairs. Whether this is through Facebook applications, a pin on Pinterest or a tweet, social media provides a new way to see the news.

Social Media's Power- Kony 2012

If you have been on any form of social media today it is likely that you would have heard the word, "KONY". A film created by invisible children that aids to make Joseph Kony, a Uganadan guerrilla group leader, has spread across various social media platforms, dominating Facebook news feeds and Twitter updates. Social media shows its power to educate, inform and hopefully liberate.

"Joseph Kony has remained an elusive and terrifying figure casting a spell over first Uganda, then Sudan and the Central African Republic, and now the Democratic Republic of Congo" 

The Deadly Cult of Joseph Kony

The 30 minute film attempts to make Joseph Kony famous, not as a celebrity but to create awareness for the horrors he has committed and hopefully lead to his arrest. It's been suggested that as many as 20,000 children have been abducted from their homes and have been forced to commit horrendous crimes. Leader of the Lord's Resistance Army he has claimed he will use the ten commandments to liberate Uganda, as one girl who had been captured by the LRA suggests his followers see him as a "supernatural being. He has a power over them." Kony is seen to be one of the most hated and wanted men on earth, the power of social media has arguably increased this status. Before today I would ask how many people knew about Kony's atrocities? Social Media has educated us on such an important subject. People need to know  what this man and his army are doing, social media is providing the ideal platform to inform the public. 

Joseph Kony

Some may criticise social media, saying it is a waste of time but Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and a whole host of other platforms have demonstrated the positive change communication can make. With figures like Kony, awareness is key, social media reaches out to millions in seconds, you're just one click away from learning about the dreadful acts of Kony and his followers. Lets hope that the power of social media can raise awareness acting as a catalyst for Kony's arrest but also be used a tool for other similar situations across the world.

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