Social Equity and Mass Media – How Nonprofits Can Build A Better Digital World

Think of internet access like food access. Most Americans have access to food – but that does not mean that the food is equal in terms of quality, cost or nutrition. People living in poverty have less access to nutritious foods and are more likely to purchase cheaply processed junk food, which if left unchecked, can lead to a host of health problems later on.  As internet expansion increases and more people have access through cheaper smartphone and school laptops, it shouldn’t be assumed that everyone has the same digital experiences or advantages. Media literacy skills and digital manipulation limit the ways in which people experience (or don’t experience) the internet.  As nonprofit organizations turn to technology to help reach vulnerable populations, they need to remember that disparities still exist and that their communication strategies need to be flexible for multiple audiences.  

According to Taranu, the quality of internet experience is a key concern in reducing social inequity.  But limited media literacy skills and digital manipulation (such as Google or Facebook algorithms) keep people in digital silos, creating deep social divisions (2011).  Facebook and its algorithms prioritize content you have previously liked (Granados, 2016). So if you like a friends photo or shared link, more content from that particular friend will be shown more and more in your newsfeeds– making it more likely you will click on her information more often. Add to that we are often friends with people that share similar interests, values and beliefs. So, the news your friends are sharing is likely to be news you approve of – which doesn’t mean it is always accurate, unbiased or trustworthy.

Social media is all about feeling included in something bigger than yourself. That is why we get little rush of adrenaline when someone likes our photo or comments on a post or retweets us.  Nonprofits and other grassroots organizations should capitalize of the desire to belong and share information and opinions. This need for inclusion is a brilliant way to grow an audience and build a digital following – no matter if you are a healthcare nonprofit, community resource, youth organization. The biggest advantage of technology for nonprofits is the ability to use social media to create virtual spaces to collaborate and share resources and empower others (Hernandez, Robles, & Martinez, 2013).  

Image Source: https://www.infohio.org/blog/item/let-s-get-real-about-fake-news

Nonprofits need to recognize that social media is about conversations, not a soapbox.  People gravitate online to like-minded groups and – as seen in the 2016 US Presidential Election. In the wake of fake news and an increasing skepticism in journalism, it’s important for nonprofits to present information that is transparent and easy to understand and includes all people, not just those individuals who support their platform. For example, a substance use prevention coalition needs to appeal to many different sectors – some of which diverge in opinion. The law enforcement sector may have a different view of the opioid epidemic as a disease versus a choice than the health care or social work sector. Nonprofits need to be able to effectively communicate across opinions, to build capacityand collaboration.    

References 

Gilmore, J. N. (2017). From ticks and tocks to budges and nudges: the smartwatch and the haptics of informatic culture. Television & News Media , 189-202.

Granados, N. (2016, June 30). How Facebook biases your newsfeed . Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nelsongranados/2016/06/30/how-facebook-biases-your-news-feed/#55d800cd1d51Hernandez, E., Robles, M., & Martinez, J. (2013). Interactive youth and civic cultures: the educational, mediatic and political meaning of the 15M. Scientific Journal of Media Education , 59-67.

Hernandez, E., Robles, M., & Martinez, J. (2013). Interactive youth and civic cultures: the educational, mediatic and political meaning of the 15M. Scientific Journal of Media Education , 59-67.

Taranu, A.-M., Paun, E., Florea, N., Nicole, R., & Lazaroiu, G. (2011). The ethics of participation, sharing and collaboration in networked media cultures: new digital technologies and participatory models of knowledge production . Economics, Management and Financial Markets, 363-372.