THE PANEL

Kia Jarmon Nancy VanReece Chris Sanders Stacy Nunnally

occupy.org

SOCIAL MEDIA AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL EQUITY

Increased access/amplify voices (though not universal) Create awareness/ spread messages Raise money Calls to action (petition, protest, campaign) Promote exchange of ideas Can promote/ enact change if enough people speak (or at

least a shift in social awareness); can draw traditional media attention

Social media is shareable, fast and global, a tool that is hard to ignore

PEW RESEARCH- Demographics

• 40% of cell phone owners use a social networking site on their phone, and 28% do so on a typical day.

• Young people, Africa-Americans, Hispanics, the highly educated and those with a higher annual household income are more likely to use social networking on their phones than other groups.

Social Media on Mobile Phones

Here are the key findings in a recent nationally representative survey from the Pew Research Center (about the 2012 election) :• 38% of those who use social networking sites use those social media to “like” or promote

material related to politics or social issues that others have posted.• 35% of social media users have used the tools to encourage people to vote. • 34% of social media users have used the tools to post their own thoughts or comments on

political and social issues. • 33% of social media users have used the tools to repost content related to political or social

issues that was originally posted by someone else. • 31% of social media users have used the tools to encourage other people to take action on a

political or social issue that is important to them. • 28% of social media users have used the tools to post links to political stories or articles for

others to read. • 21% of those who use SNS belong to a group on a social networking site that is involved in

political or social issues, or that is working to advance a cause. • 20% of social media users have used the tools to follow elected officials and candidates for

office.

PEW RESEARCH- Political Engagement