AC 2.2 Evaluate the effectiveness of media used in campaigns for change
There are many ways in which media can be used in campaigns for change. This could
include: blogs social networking, viral messaging,
Blogs
Blogs are a webpage or website which are regularly updated and are written by an individual
about a certain topic. Some advantages of blog posts are that they are easy and free to set
up, as anyone can access a free online tool to start making a blog post. Another advantage
is that they can be easily updated and changed if there is new information which comes out
about a topic, thus meaning that they do not go obsolete and stay relevant to current times.
Another advantage is that they can embed links within them which may be beneficial for
linking people to other websites or linking people to donate for a good cause. However, a
disadvantage of blog posts is that they are often time consuming to create, as a lot of time
and effort has to be put into them. Another disadvantage is that they could become out of
date and obsolete if they are not updated regularly, which may be difficult to do. Another
disadvantage is that not everyone will be likely to read or visit a blogpost, and so time and
resources may be wasted creating blog posts. An example of where a blog post has been
used in a campaign is the Unlock campaign, where the campaign kept people up to date
with it by posting blog posts such as diary entries, which are highly specific and kept people
interested.
Social networking
Social networking is the use of technology to bring people together. An advantage is that
there are millions of people who use social media platforms to connect with other people,
meaning an increased likelihood of seeing a campaign online. Another advantage is that it is
free and anyone can use it, and this ensures that there is a target audience which will
probably be part of a campaign. However, a disadvantage to campaigns is that they are
often easily dismissed on social media, leading to people simply scrolling past them and not
acknowledging them, wasting time and resources. Another disadvantage is that fake news
can be spread quickly, leading to people being misled by fake stories online. An example of
how social networking has been used in a campaign is the stop hate campaign, which used
social media platforms to inform people about the campaign.
Viral messaging
Virtual messaging is when people pass messages through social media which ultimately
lead to virality. An advantage of this is that it is a cheap way of promoting a campaign, as it
can be done by anyone and at no cost. Another advantage is that by using social media and
posting multiple times, this increases the likelihood of the campaign going viral due to more
people seeing it and sharing it and taking part in it. Another advantage is that it can reach a
large target audience and can reach a lot of people. However a disadvantage to viral
messaging is that the content may not go viral, leading to a waste in resources and time.
Another disadvantage is that anyone may view the viral content and send hate towards it,
leaving to the campaign causing trolling and hate online. An example of viral messaging
being used in a campaign is the #Metoo movement, which started from using viral tweets
from celebrities to spread awareness
TV Advertising
