Social Media

To say social media experienced an explosive growth in 2009 would be an understatement. Social media now appears in every aspect of society and in every type of media consumed today.

Technology has reached a point where almost everyone, who has access, has a voice. This voice, articulated through social media, can be extremely powerful and can force individuals, companies and communities to change the way they behave.The advent of social media tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter has made an individual’s voice louder than ever before.

We began the year discussing the triumphs of social media and how social change campaigns can establish new ways to engage people. In June 2009, we saw how social media websites became the front lines in Iran's nascent revolution after the government banned foreign media from reporting on protests in the wake of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election.

Also in June, an analysis of the top-10 social media properties by Nielsen reported that Twitter.com was the fastest growing site increasing 1,928% year-over-year, from one million unique visitors in June 2008 to 21 million unique visitors in June 2009.

Social media is transforming nonprofits both in the way they work as well as their relationships with constituents. Organizations have an opportunity to engage like-minded individuals to support their mission. Social media supports the democratization of knowledge and information enhancing the ability of people to interact, connect and participate. Technology enables this interaction but requires access in order to participate.

We are just beginning to see the impact of social media on society. At ZeroDivide, we remain committed to ensuring that all members of our communities (vulnerable populations) have the ability to create, contribute, and engage in the benefits derived from social media. The volume of information on blogs, sites, and presentations  available on the Internet is staggering. A recent search on the term social media (Google) yielded 180,000,000 results. It will be fascinating to see what the new year brings and how social media's disruptive role in redefining traditional relationships develops. 2010 may prove to be another watershed year for social media as it evolves, converges and merges with other disciplines.

For additional information:

How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media, please visit Beth Kanter's blog

Powerpoint presentation on Social Networks as Online Marketing Tools: New Trends in Social Media

Developing a Social Media Plan: Lessons from Election 2008

NTEN's library of resources on Strategic Social Media

Social Media Glossary

List of Social Networking Sites

Online lectures on social psychology, member-driven community structure, identity, etiquette, and marketing