By Alina Campbell
If there’s something to admire in particular about our younger generations, it is their willingness to get involved in current social issues and actively combat problems like discrimination, social injustice and corruption. Young people vigorously seek out content relating to current issues from different parts of the world –– from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to police reform in the U.S., to the mass incarceration of Uyghurs in China. From there, they seek to spread awareness and initiate helpful actions.
Young people’s ability to effortlessly navigate new forms of media, as well as create, share and discuss content can be a powerful source for change. However, their intention to push towards progress can be limited at times by the methods they use to spread a message. In the following sections, I will outline a few efforts and factors that could mitigate this issue and greatly improve young people’s ability to shed light on important problems.
SPREADING MEDIA LITERACY
Young generations have grown up in a world with social media, and are therefore more skilled at using social than people in their 40s or above. This does not mean, however, that they can always accurately identify false, misleading, or otherwise inaccurate content. In other words, it does not mean they have flawless media literacy.
The ability to distinguish between objective media with reliable sources and nonsense or propaganda is particularly important if young people are planning to combat misinformation about important subjects. It is for this reason that talk of media literacy as a school subject is growing louder, and this would be a positive step! But in the meantime, young people seeking to do good have a responsibility to prioritize responsible media consumption and sharing
BECOMING BETTER COMMUNICATORS
It is not enough for young people to have a platform and something important to say. It is also necessary to understand how to build a clear and convincing message. An individual can do a lot of research regarding the role of major corporations on climate change, for instance, but their message on the same subject could come as boring, easily dismissed, or simply uninteresting if it’s not properly crafted.
In order to build a clear and persuasive message, young people first have to acquire the necessary skills (even if they happen to be capable natural communicators!). Those in college or pursuing higher education in other forms would do well to focus on marketing studies, through which they can learn how to construct accurate and convincing messages for specific audiences. Alternatively, courses in liberal studies can be quite helpful as well, given the typical influence on skills like writing and editing. Learning the actual craft of composition will benefit young messengers in everything from constructing Twitter threads to submitting essays on topics they care about.
SEEKING POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE
Having the right message doesn’t always make a difference without an audience that trusts the people behind that message. It is for this reason that building a strong social media following across multiple channels is advisable for those who hope to influence discussions as individuals. Having said that, the significance of more traditional positions of influence should not be underestimated.
As much as young people are portrayed as being out on their own as they are working remotely, establishing personal brands online, and seeking leadership roles in a variety of opportunities from charitable organizations to large companies is important as well. Whether we like it or not, large organizations carry significant sway over the causes they are involved with, either naturally or by choice. The more that young, powerful messages push their way into positions of influence in such organizations, the more power they will have to turn messages into actions.
IN CONCLUSION
Young generations have always been the spearheads of social change, whether we are talking about the Vietnam protests in the 1970s, the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the Arab Spring in 2010, or even the movements against racial injustice we’ve witnessed of late across much of the western world.
In the 2020s, however, young people face new challenges like massive campaigns of misinformation financed by private entities and governments from all around the world. In order to counter the negative effects of these challenges on society, it’s necessary to work harder to develop and spread effective messaging. The efforts and strategies outlined above can make for a great start.
Alina Campbell is a UK-based writer and the mother of two wonderful children. A former tech blogger, she is working to expand her reach into coverage of current events, social trends, and lifestyle content while working a tech job from home.
Who is Alina Campbell?
Alina Campbell is a UK-based writer and the mother of two wonderful children. A former tech blogger, she is working to expand her reach into coverage of current events, social trends, and lifestyle content while working a tech job from home.
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