As most of you know (hopefully, at least!), we at jhr have been trying to actively engage our online followers to help us achieve our mission of spreading human rights awareness around the globe.
In line with doing so, we had our second foray into the world of tweetups at the Unit Bar on Queen Street West just this Tuesday. The goal of the night, aside from kicking it with some of our super cool supporters, of course, was to generate some discussion on our latest project: Make Media Matter. I’m sure you’ve heard us talk about this project for quite some time now (ummm, like our shamelessly incessant requests for you to vote to help the idea win $100K in the Pepsi Refresh Project). But as a refresher, here’s a really brief run-down of what we hope to accomplish. Make Media Matter will be an online platform that brings together socially conscious media lovers: “thinkers will debate how the media affects the world; celebrities will tell the world about the media that made a difference in their lives; consumers will discover and gain exclusive access and discounts on media that matters to them, creators will have access to tools and resources to connect with like-minded individuals, inspiring each other to create more and more socially conscious media”.
Collaborating at Unit Bar
It is what we hope to be a truly revolutionary shift in the way we currently produce and consume media. But in all honesty, Make Media Matter is still in its infancy and we really wanted to gauge our supporters’ thoughts on our overall vision and the various elements of the project that would help achieve that vision (like the media alerts, academic debates, and celebrity playlists we mentioned above). With Ben leading the discussion, a vast array of topics, questions, and ideas emerged that have really given us much to think about.
Are other organization’s doing something similar? What role does social media and technology as a whole have to play in all this? What other innovative ways can we build this initiative up? How about creating incentives for media producers? Maybe hosting annual awards? But who would judge to give out these awards? Is there room for community thinking in determining what media matters? If so, where and how?
However, the most important question that was raised during the evening was, “what is your criteria for ‘media that matters’”? A burning question for many, no doubt. So here’s the long and short of it: jhr has no intention of defining what media matters. We’re in no position to dictate something so important. Who are we, anyway? No, this is solely up to each individual involved in Make Media Matter…it is the individual that chooses what information he or she would like to get out of this platform. For instance, if your passion is women’s rights in Afghanistan, the Make Media Matter platform will bring you the most up to date and relevant news articles, events, blog posts, photos, or videos from all around the world.
After speaking to many of the attendees, I could tell that this is what struck them the most. And quite frankly, it’s what makes us at jhr so excited! Make Media Matter is powerful because it is personal; because it is in focusing on the issues that each individual cares most deeply about, that real change will emerge.
As I said earlier, Make Media Matter is still very much a work in progress, but the collaboration that took place in that small but intimate bar was something really special…especially if you consider the fact that many of us had just met that night! It’s always humbling to see people come out to support the work that we do and we are only too happy to have you join us along our journey.
Our deepest thanks to all of those who made it out to our tweetup. May there be many more to come!
If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas regards to Make Media Matter, please feel free to contact us. It’s almost all we can ever talk about these days!
Justine Yu is the Social Media Coordinator as Journalists for Human Rights. You can read her personal blog at justineabigail.com or follow her on Twitter - @justineabigail
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