Extreme poverty levels are one of the local economic problem facing most people globally and the use of social media could be the best tool for advocacy. In the past, many societies and activists have tried to address the issue unsuccessfully, which is why the change of the tool used should shift to social media. Social media will provide a larger platform where people from all over the world can participate intellectually to effect changes. Furthermore, the fact that the twenty-first century is a digital era calls for the maximum utilization of digital communication to solve the issue of extreme poverty (Reamer, 2018). The issue of poverty can be equated to a form of injustice where those unprivileged are left to wallow in poverty while the privileged ones enjoy immense wealth. Inequalities exist in the capital where economic capital determines the access to money while social capital refers to the institutions and relationships that people belong. Facebook will connect people to new jobs, enlighten them on public services, advocate for government transparency and justice. Therefore, the proposal aims at using Facebook to bring awareness of the issue of poverty and provide solutions to the community through the provision of resources and knowledge of improving their capitals.
The Plan of sustaining the community initiative
Facebook as one of the most popular social media platform will lay out a plan that will help in sustaining and maintaining the local community initiative of addressing extreme poverty levels. The plan will focus on job creations, advocating for a raise of the minimum wage, demand pay equity, support criminal justice reforms, expansion of Medicaid, the champion for affordable education, and increased work benefits. The creation of more job opportunities is crucial in tackling the issue of poverty which is usually affected by the high rates of unemployment (Scase, 2016). Thus, the plan is to establish a Facebook account that will invite if possible all members of the community to join and then share strategies of improving the situation. The account will post educative materials to help the members understand the numerous job-creation strategies and investments to help themselves before federal assistance arrives. Members will also share ideas of how they can reach out to the government to boost the local economy by revitalizing neighborhoods, rebuilding the infrastructure, subsidizing employment and renovations of houses.
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The other plan that Facebook will employ is rallying the members to visit the labor offices and petition for a raise of the minimum wage. If the minimum wage of the employed population in the society is increased, then the workers could stand a better chance of supporting their families by affording at least more than before or just above the basic needs. The minimum wage should start from an hourly basis so that even the workers can feel motivated and energized to work more with the new incentives at their workplace (Boulianne, 2015). Additionally, a minimum wage increase would enable the workers to have more savings which could be used to assist the other members in the house to start a business that could also be another source of income for the family.
The Facebook page will also help the community to expose the issue of inequality in payment. The community members will share the stories of their working and payment experiences which will inform the plan of supporting pay equity among the employed in the society. The page admins will inform the members on the need to take affirmative action to ensure that equal pay is given for equal work regardless of the gender, race or any other factor that causes the disparity (Dolinsky & Helbig, 2015). The members can also match to the labor offices to ensure that employers pay for the consequences of practicing discriminatory salary payment according to the Paycheck Fairness Act passed.
The Facebook medium will also help the poverty eradication community-based initiative to rally for better benefits at the workplace. Such benefits include the provision of paid leave and sick days which most business enterprises seem to ignore or offer at low levels. For instance, employees can petition their employers to include paid leaves and sick days as part of their benefits in reducing economic hardship. The page will offer comprehensive education of the rights of workers to enjoy a few days off without suffering deductions in salaries (Reamer, 2018). The community members could visit the labor offices to ensure their protection against unpaid leaves. Moreover, the community members could pressurize both the employers and the labor officials to include the maximum numbers of paid sick days and leaves in the job description and salaries.
Another plan is using social media to help community members champion for reforms in criminal justice which always seem to favor only the wealthy people. Most of the averagely wealthy people always have a problem gaining some wealth legally after they get released from prison since the record hinders them from being employed. Some incarcerated people even struggle to find public assistance, good credit, proper housing, and education which increases the poverty levels. The Facebook page will give people a chance to share their stories, ideas, and way forward in reforming the justice system (Leonardi, 2014). Considering that the members of the group include all professionals, the lawyers will educate the members on how they could get the government to enact policies to support successful re-entry of incarcerated people into the economic world.
Championing for affordable and high-quality basic human wants in the community will also be a plan of using Facebook to address the problem of extreme poverty in the community. One of such wants is the expansion of Medicaid and health coverage for the people. If people won’t have to worry about unaffordable healthcare, then they will not run bankrupt out of high medical bills and their income can cater for other bills such as rent and food comfortably (Dolinsky & Helbig, 2015). The page can unite the members of the community into visiting the relevant offices to demand their rights of federal child care assistance. When people receive federal assistance in health care and education, they will have a reduced financial strain which will reduce the levels of poverty.
Creating a Facebook Presence
Several steps will be considered in creating a strong social media presence that will help in solving the issue of extreme poverty in the community. The most important step will involve choosing the most appealing name for the Facebook page. The page name will include keywords of the services offered in the platform to achieve uniqueness as well as a brand. The next step will require filling in all the page details for easier visibility when people search the account. Some of the content will consist of the goals and the target audience (Boulianne, 2015). The audience includes all the US citizens, regardless of their social classes as long as they are willing to participate in the poverty eradication initiative. Members can access the page through a search or by liking the page. When the Facebook page is ready, it will have photographs, logos, headshots, advertisements, posts, and visual content regularly. Moreover, sharing people’s testimonials, news announcements, videos, infographics, website pages, and blog posts regularly will maintain a constant social media presence. Thus, such shared content will also help in engaging the audience throughout.
Technological standards
The poverty eradication initiative will also adhere to all the relevant technological standards available. For instance, the admin who will also act as the supervisee will use standard knowledge, skills, ethical content, and competency when sharing and handling the content of the Facebook page (Dolinsky & Helbig, 2015). The technological standards will ensure that the admins are responsible for all the content of the page which implies that all the information shared will be true and no fake news or information will reach the audience. In the handling of the audience, the admins will ensure to maintain a healthy relationship with the fans by giving constructive feedback and self-care. The admins will also be accredited, licensed and experienced social workers according to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) standards. The social media team will also abide by the regulatory standards of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to provide ethical services, get informed consent before posting, and maintain the confidentiality of personal information.
Using Facebook as the tool to create a poverty eradication initiative will promote community well-being in various ways through the ethical use of technology standards. The members and fans of Facebook will enjoy the privilege of receiving quality services through the information posted on the page. All the content will be authentic, true and educational to serve the purpose of the initiative. Another core value of the Facebook page will be ensuring that the fans gain all the necessary knowledge and skills to help them comprehend social justice, particularly on how to handle extreme poverty and wealth inequalities in the society (Scase, 2016). The page will post various content on self-empowerment so that people can learn ways of improving their financial status. The group will also observe the integrity of all the members whereby all comments and insights will be received and addressed with respect so that everyone feels that their opinion matter. In matters of competence, admins will put the interests of the people first even if it means personalized attention through webinars to aid in making decisions and critical thinking.
The Rational for using Social Media tool in addressing the problem of poverty
Facebook as a social media tool is appropriate for creating an initiative in addressing the wealth injustice issue in the community in several ways. When people have the tool, the voiceless get a voice and the powerless get power of participating in problem-solving with the knowledge and opportunities available on the internet. Facebook is one of the most subscribed social media platforms and has a high number of users which implies that the platform will benefit a large audience. Additionally, the fans of the page have an opportunity to listen to real stories and voices of people’s stories and comment on their perceptions (Reamer, 2018). Other vital groups such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and well-wishers could propose their assistance in the subject matter such as giving employment opportunities to the unemployed. The shared posts and content in the Facebook page are also important in highlighting the severity of extreme poverty which will keep the conversation going and prompt people to address the root causes of poverty.
Social and economic injustices are common in the communities today, and the issue of extreme poverty deserves all possible initiatives including social working through social media. Various initiatives of solving the issue of extreme poverty levels have been tried with little success, and maybe the use of social; media is the right tool to address poverty in the digital era. Facebook will work best in the initiative considering that most people across the globe are active users. When using Facebook, the members of the poverty eradication initiative page will have the right information and skills to address the social injustice of wealth. Following both the NASW and ASWB regulations and technological standards, members will also understand their rights and push for the government’s redress of the social injustices such as corruption and the root causes of poverty. People interested in embracing the initiative can access the Facebook page by searching and liking then leave comments that will inform the solutions to the problem.
References
Boulianne, S. (2015). Social media use and participation: A meta-analysis of current research. Information, communication & society , 18 (5), 524-538.
Dolinsky, H. R., & Helbig, N. (2015). Risky business: Applying ethical standards to social media use with vulnerable populations. Advances in Social Work , 16 (1), 55-66.
Leonardi, P. M. (2014). Social media, knowledge sharing, and innovation: Toward a theory of communication visibility. Information systems research , 25 (4), 796-816.
Reamer, F. G. (2018). Ethical Standards for Social Workers' Use of Technology: Emerging Consensus. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics , 15 (2).
Scase, R. (2016). Social Democracy in Capitalist Society (Routledge Revivals): Working-Class Politics in Britain and Sweden . London:Routledge.
