People sometimes tell us that they think we are wasting our time supervising a FACEBOOK page. It’s passe. It’s old school. It’s a ‘has-been’. Cool, techy people don’t do FACEBOOK anymore. Mark Zuckerberg, leader of FB, has been brought before congress and his empire has been associated with some serious allegations regarding election corruption and influence in the U.S. Yet it continues.
Here is what happens when Educate Tanzania Inc (ETI) promotes a post and targets folks in Tanzania.
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What is happening? If we do the same promotion in the U.S., we may get a few clicks and maybe a new page like. When we promote in Tanzania, we get thousands of people engaged as you see in the chart above.
ETI does not necessarily endorse the methods or ethics of FACEBOOK and joins those asking serious questions regarding the role of FACEBOOK in U.S. politics. Any privacy and security breach is of grave concern and our organization wants rigorous and consistent accountability standards in place for all users including the tech savvy and those who don’t know what and what not to agree to.
However, FACEBOOK presents a somewhat level field where many Tanzanians can participate. Folks who have just a cell phone — no laptop or desktop — can access news, opinions, updates, conversation and information that is otherwise unavailable. Facebook hosts conversations that engage people from diverse backgrounds as they air thoughts and views with others in the neighborhood and around the world. FACEBOOK presents a platform for thoughts, ideas and advocacies to gain momentum and get life.
Upshot: ETI will continue its FACEBOOK presence against the tide of other organizations who are pulling back. We will continue to connect our FACEBOOK page to our tweets (Twitter) and to our ETI website. May we be a voice of reason and grace in an otherwise noisy environment.