QCQ for _(name the reading) Rheingold, “Participation Power”
Quotation (with page number or paragraph number or timestamp if video/audio)
“Communication media can make it possible for individual behaviors to add up to collective value by making it easy or affordable for people to do things together that used to be difficult or costly.” (pg. 112)
Comment (250-500 words)
The act of charity before any virtual forms of media was very different before the technological world we have today. People would go door to door asking for contributions or there would be larger gatherings held for the cause. The difference between now and then is that we can raise much more money at more than half the effort that it took previously.
What Rheingold’s “Participation Power” piece encapsulates is the idea that media participation equals power, but only really if you participate with other people. You could post online all you want, but unless other people interact, your words are essentially meaningless. It begs the age-old question: if a tree falls in the woods with no one to hear it, does it make a sound? The same applies here in theory. If you post about what you deem to be an important topic and no one online sees it, are your words heard? No, they are not.
The article continues to discuss the impact that social media can have so long as there is active and constant participation across many individuals’ platforms. The quote I chose to highlight sheds light on the recent advancement of donations, on a virtual level. As technology advances, there are more creative ways to get things done. Nowadays, we have the ability to reach hundreds, thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of people in a short amount of time with very minimal effort. If you go on Tik Tok and have been an active member for a while, you know that every once in a while, videos of normal people like you show up, asking for money. The stories range everywhere from having a sick family member, surgery bills for a beloved pet, need for rent, and so much more. These “GoFundMe” accounts spread like wildfire on TikTok and travel to all sorts of other media outlets if they become re-posted. Thanks to the ease with which these people can make money, their problems are so much easier to fix. It also invites empathy from viewers, making them grateful for the things they have that many don’t. All users benefit from videos such as this, which is why we see it spreading to more accounts. You may find GoFundMe’s linked on Instagram stories, Facebook posts, and more. And luckily, people seem to actually be donating to these causes, because it’s literally as simple as clicking a button.
Question
Have you or anyone you know started or donated to a cause/charity virtually?
