In the last decade, first-generation social networks, little more than online address books, gave way to sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where we add our words, photos, links and video posts to a collective stream of consciousness. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)
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Tweet for Peace: How social media is changing the way we address conflict
By Nicolle Thompson
Some people view the emergence of social media outlets such as Twitter, text-messaging and Facebook as a way to waste time sharing the mundane details of life with the world. This is not the case when the messages turn to talk about peace. In the ever dynamic world of human conflict, the communication capability social media provides is being used in surprisingly meaningful ways.
What celebrity Richard Gere does off camera
American actor Richard Gere poses with a Tibetan nun after attending a teaching and initiation ceremony by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala, India. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
By Rachel Buford
Actor Richard Gere, when not working on his next film, serves as the board chairman for the International Campaign for Tibet (ITC). The ITC is a human rights organization that advocates and promotes “human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet” according to the group’s mission statement. In 2007, Gere received the Marian Anderson Award for his charitable activism. Through his celebrity status, Gere brings attention to overlooked issues of global importance.
The concept of peace is so abstract that it is difficult to define, but the basic points that peace activists try to establish are cooperation and calm between parties related to preventing physical violence as well as promoting social policies that relieve group tensions.
Many media tools can be used to achieve this calm and cooperative atmosphere. One intriguing new option for promotion of peace is social media which is largely controlled by the general public. Some of the biggest names in modern social media include Facebook, MySpace and Twitter and each of these outlets are having significant impact on the way information is communicated.
Surprisingly to some, Twitter was recommended as a nominee for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. According to technology expert Urmee Khan, Twitter, which uses internet-enabled cellular phones to send messages, was one of the few media outlets that was able to continue functioning during the political riots in Iran in 2009. When traditional print and broadcast reporters were forced to leave the country, people with social media capabilities took over news coverage themselves. By sending “Tweets” about the things they saw, heard, and felt during the protests, opinions were aired and plans were coordinated in a way that was quickly accessible to the general public but hard for the Iranian government to control.
This kind of citizen-generated news information puts pressure on governments to be accountable to international scrutiny at all times and increases the diversity of opinions and information available to the public when making personal or political decisions such as who to vote for in an election. It also allows a diversity of information to reach a wide audience and such increased information flow has the potential to ease group prejudices and aid diplomatic discussions.
Text-messaging and Facebook have even been recently adopted in international diplomacy efforts in places such as Chennai, India where the U.S. Consulate regularly sends out Facebook and text-messages as a way to inform local people of upcoming education and outreach events.
There are, however, some dangers inherent in social media. The same lack of screening or control that makes social media useful in places with restricted media access could allow misinformation or messages of hate to reach large numbers of people and increase tensions in unstable areas.
Whatever the eventual consequences, social media is not just for the boring details anymore.