08NTC: Be The Change You Want To See

With the recent proliferation of videos showing abuse of pro-Tibet supporters at the hands of the Chinese authorities on YouTube and the shutdown of a Dutch website critical of Islam, people are starting to wise up to the power of technology. With simple access to the Internet, now those who have been marginalized have the power to be the media and see the change they want to see. There are over 3,000 social networking outlets where you too can be a citizen journalist, including the more well-known sites like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Flickr, but also the lesser known but equally influential sites like Gather and GoodTube.

At the 2008 Nonprofit Technology Conference, there were more than enough examples of how technology is being used for social activism.

Here are some examples brought up at the conference:

The Burrito Project on MySpace: A group of activists organize using the social network to feed the homeless burritos in Los Angeles.

The Humane Society of the United States used YouTube to push the case in favor of animals rights during the Michael Vick debacle of a few months ago.

Hurricane Katrina victims blogged on the website for the New Orleans Times-Picayune to discuss their outrage at the US government.