Media is one of the most powerful mediums that we have in
the world; it informs our opinions, determines how we view and react to
conflict and influences our perception of the world. While traditional news
outlets use ‘war journalism,’ a type of journalism that focuses on
sensationalism, conflict and outrage, ‘peace journalism’ provides a means to
speak about conflict while taking responsibility for the media’s ability to
facilitate peaceful solutions rather than war.
Because media is a powerful tool, we have new opportunity
with emerging mediums, especially in the digital space. The flurry of digital
media sites emerging with topics that cover everything from celebrity style to dangerous food ingredients provide a platform for us to decide what kind of material we want to
be part of our general discourse. Often referred to as verticals, these
categories usually include news, lifestyle and entertainment. But what about promoting
social consciousness or community action?
In fact, many emerging media sites include articles that have social messages –
posts about organizations making broad social change, ways to volunteer and
the importance of self-confidence are out there, and that’s awesome. What I advocate for is a social
action vertical.
Why? By creating a vertical that is dedicated to social
action, encouraging positivity and facilitating peace, these topics can become
an integrated part of what people will expect in the conversation and in a
digital media space. Because there are so many new platforms, and people are
open to (and creating) amazing new ways to use them, we have an opportunity to
make social awareness part of people’s everyday lives in a way that it has not
been before. And that could mean big change for the world and for individuals living happier, more compassionate lives.
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