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The Digital World and Young Activists In today’s generation we have noticed that they are starting to become more active in social affairs. Social and digital media have made this possible because it has allowed them to have easy access to tool that can help them be active. These tools are their cellophanes, computers, and their social media websites. Even though today’s generation has everything they need to get involved in social affairs doesn’t mean they will get involved. Just because getting involved has become easy doesn’t mean all of today’s generation will.
That’s the problem that I have noticed because managers don’t always get involved simply because it’s easy. Sometimes they want to work for it because they aren’t Just going to get involved because they feel like it and it’s easy, but maybe because of the values they have acquired from their family or because the cause they choose to follow is one close to their hearts. Sometimes simply clicking like on Faceable page for a certain cause is nice but it’s not really making a difference for that cause. It’s simply showing that you support that cause.
This is a reason why teens, even though it’s easy to get involved, won’t do so. They ant to be literally more active, which means getting out of their chairs and going out and making a real difference. In their article, “Activists”, John Palfrey and Ours Gasser argue that digital and social media are making it easier for today’s generation to get involved in their community. They state that social and digital media allow the public to “… Participate in the way that public events are told to others… (1 91), which is beneficial for other citizens because sometimes they aren’t aware of what is happening in their communities or they may hear about an issue on the news but it’s censored information and they aren’t getting all the information Just bits and pieces. What today’s generation doesn’t realize is that articles in the past were censored for certain reasons not Just because publishers didn’t want the public to know certain information. Sometimes not knowing every single detail is good because then we don’t have to deal with any potential consequences that may arise.
Palfrey and Gasser also inform us on how social and digital media both have turned some of today’s generation into activists because they are using DIM and SMS to recruit other people around the country and around the globe to help them raise awareness of a certain issue . Some being breast cancer, child abuse, animal abuse etc. Through social media websites they can make pages on Faceable, Twitter, Mainstream, and other websites so that other people can see what is going on in the world around them. This can lead to more and more people becoming involved in various social issues.
These young activists, by creating these websites and pages on social media sites, are starting to make a difference in the world little by little. In their article, Palfrey and Gasser reintroduce us once again to the term Digital Natives, which refers to today’s generation that have grown up in this digital world. They use this term to help readers understand how these digital natives are using more constructive to societies on an enduring basis” (198). For some people simply voting on Election Day counts as making a difference and to some extent it does because they have the power to choose who the next president will be.
This would affect all of us because the president chosen can either make our country a better lace for us all or he/ she can make our country worse. They are making a difference but it’s possible to make a difference somewhere else other than your place of birth. That’s what today’s generation is doing because they are making a difference not only locally but globally and they are doing it in other ways other than voting, as John Palfrey and Ours Gasser stated in their article. For those teens 18 years and older they aren’t interested in changing the world by voting but instead of ways that are more engaging. According to Palfrey and Gasser DIM and SMS has also allowed today’s enervation to have an effect in the political world. Today’s generation, also known as Digital natives, are always online on social networks and other sites like Google and the fact that they can participate in political affairs by simply being on their computers in the comfort of their own homes appeals to them since they don’t have to go anywhere to do so.
This goes with what Palfrey and Gasser stated in their article about how “The internet allows political campaigns to be more efficient and to increase online participation… ” (198). For example more people would be willing to neonate to a specific candidate if they could do it online. It’s an easier and somewhat more efficient way than having to mail a check or money order. Being able to donate online is a reason why the internet has become important in all fundraising processes, according to Palfrey and Gasser. There is no hassle in having to donate online compared to having to use checks, stamps, and envelopes.
In his article, “Means”, Clay Shirks introduces his readers to the term cognitive surplus which means the free time people have and how they use it to engage in collaborative activates by using the internet, Shirks argues that digital and social media have allowed today’s generation to publish anything they want without it being censored. As a result more people are willing to post up their views and beliefs about a certain issue, For those teens 18 years and older, they aren’t interested in changing the world by voting but instead of ways that are more engaging.
According to Palfrey and Gasser DIM and SMS has also allowed today’s generation to have an effect in the political world. Today’s generation, also known as Digital natives, are always online n social networks and other sites like Google and the fact that they can participate in political affairs by simply being on their computers in the comfort of their own homes appeals to them since they don’t have to go anywhere to do so. This goes with what Palfrey and Gasser stated in their article about how “The internet allows political campaigns to be more efficient and to increase online participation… (198). For example more people would be willing to donate to a specific candidate if they could do it online. It’s an easier and somewhat more efficient way than having to mail a heck or money order. Being able to donate online is a reason why the internet has become important in all fundraising processes, according to Palfrey and Gasser. There is no hassle in having to donate online compared to having to use checks, stamps, and envelopes.
However the Internet has also made it easy for people to get scammed out of their money because others can create fake websites, that look legit because not only can they steal your money but also your identity and credit card information. In his article, “Means”, Clay Shirks introduces his readers to the term cognitive earplugs which means the free time people have and how they use it to engage in collaborative activates by using the internet, Shirks argues that digital and social media have allowed today’s generation to publish anything they want without it being censored.
As a result more people are willing to post up their views and beliefs about a certain issue, As Shirks states in his article before when someone wanted to publish a certain article or story, they had to ask for permission and today they don’t. They have more freedom. Before everything was more censored in terms of what was published but today the internet also allows teens to be more active in social affairs because it allows them to be open with their opinions and beliefs. It lets them have a voice .
The Internet isn’t always censored it’s easy for Just about anyone to post any type of information online. Tumbler, which is a social media website, allows teens to put up blobs about anything and everything. So they can put up a blob about how they support a certain presidential candidate or maybe how they think abortion is wrong. Tumbler allows teens to be able to express their views and opinions about any issue that is happening in their society. Websites such as Tumbler, Faceable, and Twitter, to name a few, all allow people to make posts about whatever they feel like talking about.
Some organizations also use these social media sites to gather more followers and to spread the word about their organizations. Being able to use the Internet to become active also allows teens to form groups in their communities to help support their cause or they can create websites to make their cause more known to others in their community, around the country, and around the globe. At the young age of 13, Randy Painter President and CEO of Care , created a website where he could raise awareness to others on how to live healthy and green lifestyle.
He created this website also so that others can post about issues that they feel are important and need to be known to others around the world. For example a young women posted a petition to get a Danish Zoo shut down for having a baby Giraffe killed without proper cause. If she got enough signatures for her petition then she would take it to the Danish Prime Minister so he can decide. These kinds of websites are what today’s generation are using to help others make a difference. Using Faceable can be useful too because someone can create an event to help raise awareness of their cause.
They can then invite any of their Faceable friends and then those friends can invite their friends . Being able to use social media websites opens up more opportunities for others to become involved in social issues around the world. Palfrey and Gasser say that the internet allows organizers of certain organization connect with others that want to help their cause. The biggest reason why the internet is so successful and making activists out of teenagers is because it’s all Just easier online.