THE POWER OF MEDIA AND

INFORMATION TO AFFECT
CHANGE; THE IMPACT OF
MASSIVE
OPEN ONLINE COURSE; AND THE
IMPLICATION OF MEDIA AND
INFORMATION TO AN
INDIVIDUAL AND THE SOCIETY

WEEK 5
 The Power of Media and
Information to Affect Change
The effective and efficient use of media leads to a vast access to
information that we can utilize and share. Media and communication
technology provide us with an array of tools and techniques to
acquire needed information. But as with every other resource,
challenges as well as opportunities are present in these quests for
materials. Being media and information literate individuals require
information use that is ethical and legal.
Whether for digital immigrants or for digital natives, the Worldwide Web is at
the limelight. We have all become part of a virtual community of information
seekers.
Information made available on the Internet travels at very fast rates that we
cannot even begin to imagine. People have immense democracy when it comes
to access to thoughts and ideas which in turn increased the participation of
people in creating their own content. “Because of the Web, we have seen
amazing examples of nobodies becoming somebodies overnight, of whiplash-fast
events arising in previously obscure corners of the world. We witness instances
of super-empowered citizens, viral phenomena, and the seemingly instant
coordination of protests and celebrations alike. Memes and hashtags zip and
proliferate.” (Wihbey 2014)
1. Collaborative Projects
• Projects enable the joint and simultaneous creation of content by
many end-users
• Wikis - Web sites which allow users to add, remove, and change
text-based content
• Social bookmarking applications - enable the group-based
collection and rating of Internet links or media content
Challenges/Opportunities
The joint effort of many actors leads to a better outcome than any
actor to achieve individually • From a corporate perspective, firms
must be aware that collaborative projects are trending toward
becoming the main source of information for many consumers

THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF SOCIAL

MEDIA (LIQUIGAN 2016)
2. Blogs
• Special types of Web sites that usually display date-stamped entries in reverse
chronological order
• The social media equivalent of personal web pages and can come in a multitude
of different variations, from personal diaries describing the author’s life to
summaries of all relevant information in one specific content area
• Usually managed by one person only, but provide the possibility of interaction
with others through the addition of comments
Challenges/Opportunities
• many companies are already using blogs to update employees, customers, and
shareholders on developments they consider to be important • Risky because
customers who turn out to be dissatisfied with or disappointed by the company’s
offerings may decide to engage in virtual complaints in the form of protest Web
sites blogs, which results in the availability of potentially damaging information in
online space

THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF SOCIAL

MEDIA (LIQUIGAN 2016)
Your best quote that reflects your
approach… “It’s one small step for
man, one giant leap for mankind.”

- NEIL ARMSTRONG