Today, while I was perusing my favorite blog, the Daily Beast, I came across an article that really set me on edge, although in retrospect it is not all that surprising. The article deals with billionaire oil tycoons, the Koch brothers, and their so far successful effort at bribing Republican officials on the House Energy and Commerce committee. Specifically, the Koch brothers have had nine Republicans on the committee pledge to fight Obama on the regulation of greenhouse gases.
I know this does not specifically have to do with nonprofits, but it would be something that I believe an environmental nonprofit should publicize via social media. For the most part, a story like this will not reach traditional broadcast media, but nonprofits might be able to garner support or outrage by leveraging such a story through social media.
Social media can be a new way for muckraking to rise from the dead, because contemporary traditional media has become lazy, incompetent, and subject to the interests of stockholders rather than a provider of information.
The question may be how do you use social media to contribute to a movement that publicizes the work of the Koch brothers. Or, think about what is it you'd like to happen? Do you want the world to know more about the Koch brothers? Certainly, their activities have received great publicity lately (particularly following the fall article about them in the New Yorker by Jane Mayer). I'd think about whether you have some other goal in mind (than simply awareness) that addresses your attitude toward the Koch brothers and how you might use social media to advance that goal.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading Networked Nonprofit, I was inspired to revisit a panel discussion I watched last September about effectiveness of networked nonprofit. Long story short, it reintroduced me to a consulting firm called 'Love Social'. The point of this firm is to market social media for causes. Check out the website http://lovesocial.org/. I found it very impressive. For instance, in the matter of 48 hours LoveSocial was able to bring awareness and donations using social media for Pakistan after the August 16 flood. By two weeks, gained 10,000 followers of the cause. The media did not cover this event sufficiently as they had in Haiti. Despite the fact the number of people who were affected by the flood were about the same as Haiti. LoveSocial entirely through social media were able to spread awareness of this tragic event. As you stated, "social media can be a new way for muckraking to rise from the dead, because contemporary traditional media has become lazy, incompetent, and subject to the interests of stockholders rather than a provider of information". But in order to bring to light to such causes, I think a social media training is needed for such ambitious goals.
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