Social Media for Social Mobilizations by non-profits organisations

Social media for mobilizations Building of online communities of ppl who share interests &activities, who are interested to explore &share interests of others Mobilizations-promotes exchange of ideas around community causes Use of social media to bring about change, make a positive &profound impact on lives of ppl; to reach out to new supporters Raise more funds / Increase brand visibility 87% of fb users are participating in social causes that are new to them since their involvement in online communities Wide range of benefits to net users-creation of groups:fighting for good causes,helping AIDS patients, cancer research, protection of animals.

Social Groups Use fb ‘Causes’ helps promote & increase civic engagement and social change- natives of change Rallying ppl around certain issue/ cause Social media as channels for expressing collective consciousness &national solidarity Enable cyber-activism which then triggers street activism; encourage civic engagement, aiding mobilizations, organize protests Heightened sense of resp to one’s communities; citizens are empowered as agents of +ve social change; ‘ information could be spread to thousands of ppl in an instant manner; dissemination faster than leaflets

Groups on facebook-advantages Facebook has become the interface for several levels of collective mobilizations Groups focused around promotion of values (partisan, anti-communalism, groups centered on Mauritianism, advocacy groups, community services (env), political mobilizations groups ways to circumvent barriers imposed to freely express their desire for freedom, their feelings horse traffic discovered by fb contributes to collective mobilization around causes, free to discuss issues in society

Groups Basic level- just a “click” is needed to become member, show commitment to values Second level- user marks a greater degree of involvement by participating in focus groups discussion 3 rd level- transition to collective mobilization: admin send invitations to members (events in real life)

Advantages Donation is easy: clicking a mouse and sending an SMS. also allow for better interactivity on the Facebook fan page, as fans can sign-up for newsletters, and copy and paste a petition letter to send to the relevant authorities, all by clicking the relevant tabs. can help NGO’s to engage with the public, as well as raise funds and awareness through the use of integrative online tools such as Facebook Apps. Occasionally post new information about their own service or new activities to the organization on their blog or announcement area post public events hosted by your organization under "Events I'm Attending" or whatever that feature might be called on a particular platform

Success stories Support to many env movements- “No to incinerator at la Chaumière”; engage with supporters « NON au développement d'un hôtel sur l’île- aux-Bénitiers »;gained 5,493 signatories to petition against it on fb

PAWS Mauritian Animal Welfare Charity founded in 1999 Mission: to improve lives of domestic animals & reduce popul of stray dogs/cats 4,786 members; open group Meera Appadoo, PR officer of PAWS

PILS : Prévention Information Lutte contre le Sida NGO established in Support people with HIV Inform the public In progress: Allow foreign nationals with HIV to work or settle in the territory of Mauritius. Integrating sex and health education in a comprehensive manner in the school curriculum. Promote better care for people with HIV (separate sterile room for people with weak immune systems), particularly in prisons members 4146 'likes' for campaigns

PILS

Amnesty International Founded in 28 May in Mauritius Global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. vision :for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Campaigns: par mwa racis pa pou passer

Amnesty International

Dharmanand Dooharika Solidarité avec Dharmanand Dhooharika, Rédacteur en Chef de Samedi Plus 300 membres sur FB Condamné à 3 mois de prison pour outrage à la cour Couverture Internationale, « The Guardian » Sociologist & Psychologist view Mr. Ragen Suntoo, Sociologist and lecturer at University of Mauritius Mrs. Veronique Wan, psychologist

Limits Fb attracted many sympathizers online bt was unable to organize them offline A weapon of mass distraction-ppl spend too much time indulging in virtual activism instead of real activism No modulated language/ disrespectful comments/personal attacks through posts affect groups