Using social media to save lives, or generally make a difference outside of the online realm, is something we don’t often think about. We theorize about it all the time, for sure. Bu actual execution is far and few between, and hardly makes for interesting news coverage when there’s other things to talk about, such as a phising scam on Twitter or a new tool launched by Google.
Nevertheless, the real-life, game-changing stories are some of the ones that interest me the most. It’s partially because the real-world effect of social media changed my own life, as it offered an outlet to the world when I had few other options. It really is the ability to connect people that are in need of advice or information that lets social media become a powerful tool, and one man is out to prove that to the rest of us.
Jonathan Akwue of Digital Public sought a way to leverage social media for the greater good, connecting people that essentially don’t want to be identified. One group in particular were teen females avoiding or dealing with unwanted pregnancy. It’s a tough topic to tackle, but it was all the more reason for Akwue to turn to social media in order to provide a safe haven for giving people information in an environment that make it easier for an audience to access and connect with.
In this way, it seems like the Internet is a solution for many of our problems concerning limited access to information or the people that may need the information the most. Yet it’s becoming more and more evident that such social media tools can in fact be used for these purposes. The far-reaching effects of social media as we know it have penetrated our culture to the point where it is no longer a foreign concept, and can be readily utilized for the purpose of seeking like minds.
The capacity of the web to develop relationships around niche user groups is another basic we rarely apply to the real-world benefits of social media, but there it is, staring us in the face. Akwue’s desire to reduce teen pregnancies resulted in a delivery method that targeted young teens and mothers in places they were willing to meet halfway, successfully making a difference for many of the individuals involved.
As social media increases its capabilities to improve targeting for the inclusion of geographic data, we’re likely to see more projects and programs that seek to utilize the web for similar just causes. I think we can mark this as a win for social media.