Social media a tool for development?

So can we say that social and new media is the "rave" at the moment? Or is it a trend that is here to stay? Everyone is doing it!

Social and new media has become a large and important part of everyday life for many, but more importantly it can be used to help organisations to meet their communication goals and strategies in a more effective manner.

I am doing my placement at Oxfam, (a development agency) and I can say that Oxfam have not been shy about jumping on board the new media band wagon. I had a conversation with one of the volunteers of Oxfam (a Y generation member) and he said that it is ironic that Oxfam is using social media so much, when a computer is the last thing that the people that Oxfam are trying to help would want. Ironic?

Children in developing countries would most likely sit on a computer in a class room opposed to use it, (as what happened in Africa when Bill Gates supplied wind up computers to children in Africa) technology has the benefit of being able to connect many like minded people across various geographical locations who previously would not have been able to converse and liaison and interact.

So some of the ways in which Oxfam Australia is using new media/ social media:

• Facebook, Oxfam Australia have created their own facebook site which they use to keep people updated about the social justice issues that they are concerned about, and inform people about how they can become involved. At the moment Oxfam Australia have 2551 fans.
• E-monitors. One of the campaigns I have been working with while I have been at Oxfam is focused on lobbying the Australian government to take leadership in the UN climate change negotiations that are to be held in Copenhagen in December. The e-monitors is a network of people who sign up via their email. When there are negotiations going on, for example the ones that have just been in Bonn. Emails are sent to the members on the database, and they are asked to send emails asking that Oxfams ask are met at these negotiations. This can be seen as a way that social new media, is giving lobby groups an ability to mobilise into action, in an organised and carefully calculated manner.
• Oxfam Australia also has started their own social networking site. This site is based along the lines of sites such as Facebook. Members join and create a profile, they then have a network of friends and groups they can join. Photos are posted, blogs are posted. It is a meeting ground for like minded people who are concerned about climate change. Have a look at http://www.aclimateforchange.org/.

So is social media a tool that can be used for social development. Yes, it is an effective means of targeting and mobilising a large amount of people, fast.