You may have been following the UK tuition fees debate with some interest in the news, and seen how previously apathetic students have sprung into organised protests and occupations with surprising speed and ease. This is a great example of the role of social media in a practical context. Let’s take a look at how social networking has been used, and how it is relevant to the commercial world.

Facebook

How do you know if anybody is coming to a protest? How do you know where to meet? The popular social network Facebook has been used extensively to organise protests across the country. Facebook ‘events’ have been set up with a wealth of information on dates, times, locations and attendees to organise their exploits. However, event pages are only useful up until that event starts. Which leads us to…

Twitter

So when the march has started, how do such a large mass of people communicate? Twitter is the popular micro-blogging platform used by celebrities, politicians, businesses, charities, activists and everyday people – including students. When police attempted to use their controversial ‘kettling’ tactic a multitude of warnings would appear instantly on the site warning other protestors to change route. Occupations and sit ins have been announced over the social network where they may be otherwise ignored in mainstream news outlets.

YouTube

Some examples of overly aggressive police tactics have been captured on mobile phones and cameras and immediately uploaded to popular social video sharing website YouTube. The website, owned by search engine giant Google, allows users to upload home made videos, often of a humorous or viral nature, but in some cases, a serious nature like this. Students are attempting to hold police to account by sharing incidents they have witnessed.

The other side of the debate

So, students and their supporters are using social media to their advantage. But how about proponents of the policy? Politicians seem to have been slow on the uptake to use social media to win people round – perhaps a major error on their part, considering the widespread usage of social networking amongst students. However, one Conservative has set up a site at factsonfees.com to defend their corner, with an attractive and relevant design featuring placards with the alleged misconceptions about the policy that people hold. Clicking on them opens a lightbox pop up with their answer to people’s worries. The site also features prominent sharing buttons for Facebook and Twitter to help users spread the word.

Other instances of social networking in politics

Not too long ago the Iranian government attempted to block access to Twitter as irate citizens took to the streets and shared their experiences with the outside world. The group ‘Anonymous’ has recently started to attack the websites of companies that they deem to be restricting to free speech by removing the whistleblower organisation WikiLeaks from their servers and services. Victims include PayPal, Mastercard and Amazon. In the American elections a cornerstone of Obama’s campaigning was his savvy use of social media.

What this means to our clients

This is a slightly roundabout post in that it refers mainly not to commercial organisations or charities, but to politicians and protestors. So what does this all mean for our clients?

The student protests have demonstrated that many people are engaged in social networking – their supporters are not limited to those at universities, but from schoolchildren all the way up to pensioners. The failure of the policy’s proponents to engage via social media channels has shown itself in the public mood regarding the debate. It is important that your organisation doesn’t make this mistake. This rich source of engaged consumers is brilliant for business. A targeted, strategic social media campaign is a great way to interact with current and potential customers, and also operates as a search engine optimisation and link building strategy for your main website.

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