The 99 Percent: A Social Media Revolution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48K5Y0421Ig

By TC Brown

In 1964, Sam Cooke wrote and recorded “A Change Is Gonna Come,” a song quickly adopted by the Civil Rights Movement.  It was a minor hit that was optimistic about ending segregation and prejudice, and a different sort of tune from an artist who typically penned feel-good pop hits. Only after his death did the song attain real success.  (song linked above)

The tune – at least its title – seems an apt reference today in relation to events unfolding in the Occupy Wall Street movement’s development and growth through the use of social media tools.  If it hasn’t already, it’s close to becoming a cliché to say that social media is changing the game, in protests and in many areas of our daily lives.

But in just under two months, the Occupy movement has spread across the U.S. and the world, with gatherings in more than 900 cities across the globe, thanks to protestors using numerous social media tools to dish out updates and invigorate support.

The Economist magazine has already dubbed the anti-Wall Street protest as the “first true social media uprising” in America.

Consider the activity:

·       Facebook pages have become online focal points for gatherings and calls for aid and advice. An Occupy Facebook fan page has more than 300,000 fans.

·       More than 330,000 Occupy-related hashtags are tweeted every day.

·       On Tumblr’s microblog site, “We are the 99 percent,” people are posting their sad tales of financial difficulties.

·       From across the country and around the world, protestors are uploading videos and live video streams on Livestream and YouTube.

·       Through the payment startup, WePay, donations of more than $400,000 have poured in, with the average payment traveling 800 miles.

The success of this social media uprising has not gone unnoticed. Organized labor has begun to use these channels and platforms more aggressively to mobilize support for their issues. In recent weeks, the Teamsters have been actively using blog posts and putting up photos on Facebook and Twitter to document their differences with various corporate entities.

Despite the target on its back, and maybe because of it, even Wall Street is taking a serious look at social media’s relevancy and role in this movement. The New York Stock Exchange just held its first-ever “Social Media Day,” bringing in digital media gurus and political experts to kick around ideas about how Wall Street can use these platforms more effectively.

No one can accurately predict whether the Occupy Wall Street movement gains traction or fades this winter, but the way in which future mass protests develop and progress has forever changed, thanks to social media.

Today, the change has already come.

TC Brown is a partner in Webface, a communications and marketing company actively participating and helping others join the changes of today.