From the Tenderloin to Tahrir Square: Social Media changing the world

Have you ever tried to explain why a website crashed to someone who is terrified of touching a computer?  Or maybe you want to know how Facebook and Twitter emerged as the tipping points in toppling the regime of the former President of Egypt?  If you ever ask yourself these questions or wonder how social media (like Facebook and Twitter) can change our world, you might have found some answers at St. Anthonyís symposium, Social Change 3.0:  Transforming the world one click at a time.

Roughly 140 people, representing a diverse group of nonprofits, businesses, and venture capitalists, convened at The Hub on Mission Street last Tuesday to be regaled by stories, facts, and anecdotes from experts in social media who use these tools every day to create positive change in our world.

Our panelists shared myriad examples of ways we are changing the world every day: Jake Levitas, Research Director at the Gray Area Foundation, opened the evening with a sharp perspective on how social media can influence our democratic process. “Our current model of democracy is thousands of years in the making. Today we’re in a modality of instant change.”

Megan Trotter, Manager of the Tenderloin Technology Lab, highlighted the importance of digital inclusion within the arc of innovation. “Technology is important, but equally important is the human contact needed to help people learn how to use it.”

Sam Birney, Senior Director of Engineering for Kiva.Org and Craig Newmark, Founder of Craigslist, offered practical solutions that arise from Kiva’s model of microloans, a cutting edge way that donors can reach budding entrepreneurs all over the world.  “The Kiva model can be extended to areas needing fresh water and sanitation.”

Finally, Ossama Hassanein, Chairman of the Rising Tide Fund in Redwood Shores, described perhaps the greatest arc of impact using social media when he told the audience about his involvement in the Egyptian revolution and Arab spring.  “In the age of social media, the burning and the beating of two young men will not go unnoticed.

If you missed this exciting panel and would like to get involved in this discussion, click here for a Menu for Social Change, for small ways to change the world, one click at a time.