1. Choose an issue that is important to your group and conduct research on how social media is being used to address, raise awareness, or bring about change related to that issue.
2. Select a hashtag for your campaign and define your goal, main message, and target audience (stakeholders or members of civil society).
3. Determine how you will spread your message on social media and what other resources outside of social media you will use. Consider potential collaborations with other organizations or individuals.
4. Create a product that addresses the questions and considerations outlined in steps 2 and 3. This product can take the form of a poster, image/meme, audio or video, GIF, or performance art piece. Content must be original and not plagiarized.
5. Share your product on social media to gauge its impact, posting a minimum of three times over a few days.
6. Prepare a presentation for your tutorial that provides background on the social issue, historical and recent events related to it, an explanation of your artistic or digital piece, and how it connects to theoretical discussions in the course.
7. Ensure all submissions are made on Blackboard, including the social media posts and any additional resources needed for the presentation. If your art piece is physical, bring it to your tutorial for presentation.
By following the above steps use the social issue in South Africa of Suicides among students in varsities in regard to issues such as nsfas funding being cut off which is a burden in the student's lives so much it pushes them to suicide. Discuss every step in detail. This issue ie believed to have started in higher offices where corruption is taking place and thus affecting the ones on the ground where students get defunded for no reason
Step 1: Researching the Use of Social Media in Addressing Student Suicides in Varsities
Research shows that social media has been used as a powerful tool to address, raise awareness, and bring about change related to the issue of student suicides in South African universities. Various student organizations, mental health advocacy groups, and concerned individuals have taken to social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to share information, resources, and stories of students who have been affected by this issue. These online campaigns aim to raise awareness about the mental health challenges faced by students, the lack of support services on campuses, and the impact of funding cuts on students' well-being.
Step 2: Campaign Hashtag and Goals
Hashtag: #SaveOurStudents
Goal: The main goal of our campaign is to raise awareness about the issue of student suicides in South African varsities, specifically focusing on the impact of funding cuts on students' mental health. Our message is to advocate for increased support services for students, better mental health resources on campuses, and to hold government officials accountable for the consequences of their actions on students' well-being.
Target Audience: Our target audience includes students, parents, educators, government officials, mental health professionals, and the general public who are stakeholders or members of civil society concerned about the well-being of students in higher education.
Step 3: Spreading the Message
To spread our message on social media, we plan to create engaging and informative posts, graphics, and videos that highlight the stories of students affected by funding cuts and the lack of mental health support on campuses. We will also collaborate with student organizations, mental health advocacy groups, and influencers to amplify our message to a wider audience. In addition to social media, we will also use traditional media outlets, such as newspapers, radio, and television, to reach a broader audience.
Step 4: Creating the Product
We have created a video that combines powerful visuals, statistics on student suicides, personal stories of students affected by funding cuts, and calls to action for viewers to support our campaign. The video aims to highlight the urgency of the issue, the human impact of funding cuts on students' mental health, and the need for immediate intervention to prevent further tragedies.
Step 5: Sharing on Social Media
We will share our video on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, with a call to action for viewers to share, like, and comment on the post to spread awareness about the issue. We will post the video at least three times over a few days to maximize its reach and impact.
Step 6: Presentation for Tutorial
In our presentation for the tutorial, we will provide background information on the social issue of student suicides in South African universities, including the impact of funding cuts on students' mental health. We will discuss recent events related to the issue, such as student protests, government responses, and advocacy efforts by student organizations. We will then explain our video and how it connects to theoretical discussions in the course on social media activism, the power of storytelling, and the role of digital media in social change.
Step 7: Submission on Blackboard
We will submit our video, social media posts, and any additional resources needed for the presentation on Blackboard for evaluation. If our art piece is physical, we will bring it to the tutorial for presentation to our classmates and instructor.