The power of social media

I must first apologise for my prolonged absence from the blogosphere. Anyone who’s been following the news in Pakistan would have heard how this year has not started off well – in early January, the Governor of the Punjab (the country’s most populous province), a liberal man with high ideals, was gunned down by a member of his own special security detail. The Governor’s crime was merely to recommend that parliament consider reviewing the law, which has long been used to repress non-Muslim minorities. Then a few days ago, Pakistan’s minister for minorities was also gunned down.

All in all, a depressing state of affairs.

Of course, those following the news will also know of the current turmoil in Libya, and the protests in Egypt and Tunisia (and across the Arab world) that preceded it. What is incredible about these protests – especially Egypt – is how the protestors used social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to organise themselves and spread their message. In countries where public discourse can be suppressed, social media takes on a far bigger role than merely that of connecting with friends or communicating brand values. In Pakistan, the power of social media has yet to take on. While there is a definite understanding of the medium – and brands and marketers are also gradually coming to understand its significance – it seems to have not yet achieved the ‘tipping point power’ that it has in other Muslim countries (again, take Egypt).

Perhaps one reason for this is that we’re still not that used to communicating via the ‘net – maybe we need greater broadband and internet penetration. Personally I think it is more to do with culture – while Pakistani internet users are savvy to using social media to connect with friends, I feel they have not yet ‘crossed over’ to seeing SM as a means for professional communications – or even wider social communications that go beyond their immediate circle. Yes, there are no doubt savvy people – both within marketing and tech circles, and outside – however, these people are likely a tiny proportion of the total number of ‘net and social media users.

Nonetheless, what the protests in the Arab world have demonstrated beyond a doubt is that the power of social media goes far beyond just a few friends connecting online or brand messaging – when used correctly, social media can become a fantastic tool for SOCIAL CHANGE. And ultimately, isn’t that the Holy Grail of all advertisers?