Facebook Fairytales is a refreshing book. It shares stories that inspire hope; hope that is desperately needed in today’s world. For the most part, we are used to hearing bad news and reports on devastating events all day via the media. It is encouraging to read stories about positive events that are taking place throughout the world. *
Our use of words is powerful. So much is said about the bad things that happen throughout the world, that it becomes, to a great extent, our reality. Facebook Fairytales shows some examples of how social media gives people an outlet to share different kinds of news. At this point, positive news and events that would have gone practically unnoticed ten years ago are spreading as fast as news of war and devastation across the world. People are captivated by stories of courage and generosity of spirit.
This is having a huge impact on the world today. Individuals have tools at their disposal to really make a difference. People can make light of things that create common bonds and trust among people, things that are largely ignored by traditional media.
My favorite Facebook Fairytale is One Million Voices. It’s amazing that one person could organize against such a powerful group. Without the speed and ease of social media, if one person stood up against FARC in the public sphere, he or she would more than likely be killed by this group. But with thousand of people banding together by the minute on the web, a group was created, peacefully, that was more powerful than FARC.
This is especially important in places where poverty and corruption is so bad that there are no resources to fund an effective legal system. Now, people have tools to help them form powerful alliances with each other and are less likely to be persecuted. Ultimately, people are given more opportunities and tools to develop freedom and have a just society because of social media.
*idea partly taken from a book called Hope's Edge by Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé
Its amazing the power that social media has. Years ago regular people wouldn't be able to stand up to a bigger entity. Since facebook is able to unite many people, it is equalizing the playing field. I agree with that it is refreshing to read something positive. I am a positive person and I hate being around negative people so I enjoy reading these stories as well.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that it was nice to hear some positive stories and about people banding together and achieving their goals. It is truly amazing the power that online communities can have in building support and as you mentioned this is especially true in poor and corrupt countries. Even if sometimes these efforts fail, by making them public on the internet, at least others out there can be inspired and the world can know of the dire circumstances they face.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of people banding together as small parts of something big is a great thing. I know this isn't a political article, but it got me to thinking about how young people in America use the excuse of "one vote doesn't matter" as a reason not to vote. I hope that social media can spread more into the political sphere and get young people to vote.
ReplyDeleteThis was also my favorite story from the book. Being of Colombian descent, I remember seeing the group on Facebook a few years ago and seeing how different news organizations covered the story. This story, though, made me think about the groups that are created on Facebook that we don't hear about that may have a more evil purpose. Nonetheless, this was a good story, and just out of curiosity I checked the One Million Voices Against FARC group yesterday - it had 537,518 "likes"
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