The power of social media: potentials and risks Copy Copy

The rise and popularization of smartphones around the globe have had a significant impact on how media is produced and consumed; according to research, the current number of smartphone users in the world is 6.648 billion, which means 83.7% of the world’s population. Beyond calling and texting, these platforms have diversified and expanded the ways in which we communicate, share, store, and create information. Social media can be understood as a form of digital communication in which users create online profiles (individual or community) to search, share, communicate, and create content.  

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Thinking about the media landscape, it is interesting to notice how this list is predominantly comprised of big US companies. As one of the ‘big five’ tech companies in the US (Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Google), Meta is the parent organization of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. YouTube is owned by Google, whose parent organization is Alphabet Inc. However, there is an increasing proportion of platforms that originated from China over the years, such as Weixin/WeChat (international version of WeiXin, equivalent to a combination of Facebook and WhatsApp), TikTok (short video platform, an international version of Douyin), Douyin, QQ (mainly used for instant messaging), Sina Weibo (equivalent to Twitter), Kuaishou (short video platform).  

We can also notice through data analysis, how the media landscape keeps on changing. In 2021, Tik Tok overtook Facebook as the most downloaded social media app in the world. This is important information to consider when thinking about target audiences or types of content. 

One of the most distinct characteristics of Tik Tok, compared with YouTube or Facebook, is that it only hosts a variety of short videos with durations from 15 seconds to 3 mins.  This signals a shift in the ways that we consume information and the frames or restrictions of each platform.

Potentials & risks

Social media, as a form of digital communication, emerged in early 2000, and since then, controversies around its potential, risks, and responsibilities have been constant. As digital platforms depend on their users to create content, social media has the potential to become a space where information can be shared and discussed publicly. As a communication platform, it also hosts a space where discussions can be held and archived for the public interest; for example, many local governments and organizations often have social media profiles where citizens can reach out to voice their concerns or ask for assistance. As such, social media can play a powerful role in the collection, sharing, and facilitation of important information.  

However, even when the users are creating the content posted on social media, the ways in which this content is distributed and filtered are often determined by the interest of the media mandates, which consciously or not, can have serious political implications. We see for example how the power of those big tech companies has happened without proper consideration of data privacy or public policies around moderation and censorship. Spreading fake news, disinformation and hate speech; mishandling of data privacy; promoting fragmentation, polarization, and extremism, are just some examples of the risks of social media. 

For example, internal research leaked in 2021 showed that Instagram APP makes body issues worse for teenage girls and damage their mental health, Facebook knew Instagram is toxic for teen girls but kept the research secret^.

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 Another emerging problem in today’s politics is social media site censorship. The big techs, moderating content, make editorial decisions by removing content with which they disagree. The censorship of certain social media content is proving to be a challenge across the globe for NGOs working to provide information on sexual health and family planning. (Source)

Social media & social change

Social media presents both opportunities and challenges for organizations that want to be involved in social change. Besides mandate control and editorial censorship, one of the challenges is that new media technologies and their accompanying attention economy have accelerated the news cycle in most jurisdictions. This means that once a relevant issue is trending, non-profits must react quickly if they want their point of view to be heard.  

On the other hand, with the requisite in-house capacities and programmatic focus, NGO&CSOs can now go directly to the audience by setting up their own social media pages and channels. Content production and high levels of interactivity are benchmarks of these types of platforms. Over the years, we see more and more global NGOs and CSOs using social media for social change. 93% of NGOs worldwide are on Facebook, 77% on Twitter, 56% on LinkedIn, 50% on Instagram, and 28% on YouTube. (Source)

One of the main problems we identify is that most NGO&CSOs use social media in basic ways, mainly for branding their own organizations, leaving behind the possibilities for social interactions, networking, and community building. This is understandable since many organizations have limited capacity and resources, so often communications departments are small and have no digital strategies. But for sustainable development in the longer term, we suggest NGO&CSOs prioritize digital transformation on social media to unleash its full potential as an alternative civil space for a higher purpose, such as awareness raising and policy change. Some of the uses of social media can be: 

• External communications – building brand awareness and reputations, increasing visibility of their project/programs, building positive public relations (PR), and media relations.  
• Recruitment – recruiting new talents, including full-time, part-time, and volunteers.  
• Building partnerships – informing, interacting, and networking with diversified stakeholders on social media to build stronger partnerships in the digital space.  
• Fundraising – conducting fundraising activities and campaigns to attract online donations or generate other types of online income.  
• Awareness raising – informs social media users about a topic or issue with the intention of influencing their attitudes, behaviours, and beliefs toward the achievement of a defined purpose or goal.  
• Service referral – providing services directly via social media such as e-health consultation or referring social media followers to access offline service provision organizations.  
• Advocacy – conducting social media activism campaigns or other activities to make collective claims on a target authority, in which civic initiators or supporters use social media.