On Wednesday, February 23, the province celebrated Stand Up to Bullying Day. By wearing pink, people showed their support to stop bullying in schools, and even workplaces. Over the years, there has been a increase awareness in bullying, and action is starting to take place. This bi-annual event of wearing pink has mostly elementary and high school students participating in it. Being in university, bullying does not seem like a big issue, but it’s still not something we can ignore. If it were not for Facebook and YouTube, I probably would have forgotten about this day.
So what does social media mean? Back when Facebook first became popular, it was used mainly for connecting with people and sharing information, pictures, etc. Groups were just for random things, and events were just for birthday parties and family gatherings. Now they are used to raise awareness for events like Stand Up to Bullying Day. And each individual has numerous connections via Facebook, once one person “Attends” or “Joins” a group or event, his or her whole network of people will see this event. Likewise, YouTube is a source for raising awareness for good causes as well. Students at Churchill Secondary and David Lloyd George Elementary participated in a flash mob to raise awareness for bullying. With practice, they were able to create an impromptu performance and video to show their support. This video has gone viral, and has even received media coverage from local newspapers and television news.
So what does this all tell us? I want to first start off by saying that social media means something new to me now. It is no longer just about staying in touch with friends and catching up on their lives. No. Social media is now a mode of communication for causes to get their message across to a wide range of people, and it works. Now go watch the video, it’s pretty cool.
