Module 2, Task 4: After exploring the resources above, choose two ways that you see social media has impacted on an organisation you are familier with. This could be a business, an institution or a government department. Identify the organisation and write 400 words explaining and analysing the impact.
The emergence of Web 2.0 has brought about a significant shift in how society interacts and engages with each other and, more importantly, how influential it can be. We desire to belong to social groups and connect within our everyday communities (Kwon et al., 2021) and expect a social contract based on trust and cooperation with these platforms (Dijck, 2018, p. 151). Society continues to be shaped by these technologies, and their structure reflects and constructs the democratic order to implement public values and collective interests in one ecosystem (Dijck, 2018, p. 139). The public expects government authorities to engage with them through social media channels (Omar et al., 2014, p. 666), encouraging citizen participation and influencing social movements through the support and construction of collaborative knowledge to widen the learning and provide benefits of digital citizenship (Manca, 2020). More importantly, authorities have relied on social media to maintain democratic order and deliver credible news and information to its citizens (Dijck, 2018, p. 146).
The ACT Emergency Services Agency and NSW Rural Fire Service used Facebook during the Orroral Valley bushfires to extend their means of communication with the community. The study demonstrated that these platforms allowed the delivery of a combination of text, images and infographics in communication activities (Atkinson et al., 2021). These platforms’ importance in broadcasting local news and credible information is vital as the platform can persuade social and political movements based on a collective effort and attempt to justify truths. During the COVID pandemic, Facebook brought out a localisation strategy to combat fake news circulating and provided grants and funding to the media industry to help them continue their journalism during economic hardship (Kwon et al., 2021).
There have been studies by psychologists and sociologists to understand why we react and are influenced by others. Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiment 1961 revealed that we are obedient and likely to follow authoritative figures even against our moral principles in certain situations (Social Psychology, 2021). Sociologist Robert Cialdini’s (2009) social proof theory describes that people will assume others have more knowledge than them and will mirror their actions if they perceive them as their peers or similar to their interests or if most people follow. There is a dark side of this through deindividualisation, where there is a lack of accountability and anonymity, resulting in non-normative behaviour, which triggers a herd mentality, a reaction to group polarisation, and the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussions within the group (Dubey & Sinha, 2023). The COVID-19 panic buying is an example of this, where uncertainties and insecurities are proof of a collective response to the coronavirus outbreak.
439 words
References
Atkinson, S., Kim, C. & Lee, J. Y. (2021). Facebook as an official communication channel in a crisis. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 36(1), 92-98. https://10.47389/36.1.92
Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: Science and practice (5th ed.). Pearson education.
Dijck, J. van, Poell, T., & Waal, M. de. (2018). The platform society. Oxford University Press.
Dubey, A., & Sinha, S. K. (2023). Does social media exposure shape consumer response in the form of panic buying? Journal of Creative Communications, 97325862311605-. https://doi.org/10.1177/09732586231160589
Kwon, K. H., Shao, C., & Nah, S. (2021). Localised social media and civic life: motivations, trust, and civic participation in local community contexts. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 18(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2020.1805086
Manca, S. (2020). Snapping, pinning, liking or texting: Investigating social media in higher education beyond Facebook. The Internet and Higher Education, p. 44, 100707-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2019.100707
Omar, K., Stockdale, R., & Scheepers, H. (2014). Social media use in local government: an Australian perspective. International Journal of Public Administration, 37(10), 666–675. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2014.903270
Social Psychology [Practical Psychology]. (2021, March 11). The Milgram experiment – shock study on obedience conclusions. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/3YOox59J0Bk?si=633ADPZdRMJH5xf8