Did you know the Ugandan constitution guarantees freedom of the press and the use of other media? What is a life without freedom of expression!
Today is about “every man for himself.” Gone are the days when we took our concerns to the streets, the days when we waited for authorized persons to front our issues faced by youth, and so are the days of fear in standing for ourselves.
Today, technology has proven to be an excellent weapon for awareness. As many may define it, advocacy could also be the act of support or recommendation for a cause or formulation of a policy, usually one that will yield development/change. It could also be an activity by an individual or group that aims at influencing decisions within political, economic, and social institutions, of course, according to different sources.
Currently, about 4.48 billion people worldwide are using social media – basically Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube – mainly used as social networking and business promotional applications. But guess what? Social media can be used to advocate for change in society today.
As a leader or one passionate about change, here are a few things you need to know to make your social media advocacy worth it;
Purpose: For better advocacy, know the purpose of the message you want to pass on; in this case, it could be to advocate for a particular policy or drive a campaign for change. The clearer the purpose of the message, the easier your role becomes in advocating it.
Format: How would you love your message to be received? Could it be through text, video, or infographics, all of which are accommodative by the commonly used social media platforms?
Audience: Knowing the purpose of your message, you ought to be in the know of your target audience or rather the people whom you wish to receive your message, which could be the government, policymakers, or persons concerned. Understanding your audience is key to knowing how you wish them to receive the message.
Resources: Where would I want to publish my content? This is one of the questions you often have to ask yourself before sending your message. You ought to be mindful that your audience does have different platforms they are passionate about. Henceforth choice of where and how to publish is critical.
With the social media applications increasing daily, a high recommendation is to focus on Facebook and Twitter for awareness campaigns and advocacy. To share your information, be mindful of your authenticity, language & grammar. With this, you can create awareness and proof that the pen could be mightier than the sword.