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As Mattie Stepanek once said, “Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”. Although Stepanek died at the age of 13, before he may have reached his full potential, he never lost sight of what the potential of the world-- and thus humankind-- could become. One of the many great things about humankind is that we work together through tough times and come out even better than before. In 2020, there were many widespread issues; such as politics, racism, and natural disasters. For example, because of Covid-19, society had to stay at home to help decrease Covid-19 cases. Worse, government policies to stay at home and to social distance have reduced opportunities to volunteer and help those in need.
Despite these many obstacles, those in Generation Z (or “Gen Z” for short) have taken to social media to creatively share their ideas on ways to help during the pandemic. They have built social “platforms”: whether it be on Instagram, Campaign, Facebook, or other websites. Some have even set up non-profit organizations to further speak up and share information about current issues. Some who have made such organizations have built partnerships with relatable role models to set up new programs targeted towards teenagers online. For instance, some have created Webinars featuring other young social activists. Certainly, there are both benefits and criticisms -- or pros and cons-- to these newly formed resources created as a response to the pandemic. This article will outline and further describe said pros and cons.
Pros to online social work:
1. Builds Action and Awareness
Many social movements offer ways to sign petitions on third-party websites, such as Change.org. Indeed, there is no guarantee that said petitions will directly create real-world change. However, petitions can convince or motivate governments, organizations, and even people to help social issues in ways a petition alone could not do. Additionally, petitions can help spread awareness on a certain topic, such as topics that are not well known or talked about in the news often.
2. Hot Topics of Opinion Pieces and Essays
Many writers for popular websites, such as New York Times and Buzzfeed, write about current events in their articles. In doing so, they further spread awareness of said current events to their readers. Writers can also write about and spread awareness about teen-led organizations, and as a result, these organizations can grow their reach to other teenagers. Sometimes, companies will also hold national essay competitions, which are available to varying levels of education.
3. Literacy is increased
Some companies have an email list which people visiting their site can sign up to receive emails occasionally. Such emails could be about current events and petitions to sign. While these Emails might seem annoying at times, consistent reading content sent straight to one’s inbox also can help increase literacy for teenagers or children.
Cons to online social work:
1. Hoaxes are Imminent
This ‘con’ is one of the more common arguments against online social work. Hoaxes can greatly harm communities in need, so naturally, many communities are concerned about hoax issues. Hoaxes can also cause people to lose trust in nonprofit organizations. Therefore, it is important for organizations to always cite sources so others don’t get lost, as this can help prevent the spread of hoaxes. The bottom line is to be smart about which organizations you trust.
2. Is prevention effective?
As mentioned in the first ‘pro’, many nonprofit organizations open petitions for causes that relate to them. However, the question of if prevention is effective or not still stands. Petitions might be useless if they won't affect the Big Organization/Company moving forward. Perhaps, expanding relations or communication between each organization can be a greater help.
In conclusion, online social work can both benefit and harm the communities and issues it is intended to help. From further spreading awareness to accidentally creating hoaxes; it is becoming increasingly clear that online social work is one of the most powerful tools humanity has at its fingertips today. It is crucial that this tool is used wisely.
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