Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook played an important role in creating awareness of the problem of food insecurity in schools, planning meetings, influencing government agencies, communication between stakeholders, and giving voice to concerned citizens. According to Steinberg (2017), advocates have the power to influence legislators and involved stakeholders by working along with social movements.
The proposal for the Mayor’s Office of Food Security in collaboration with the Office of Emergency Management, and the Department of education to come up with a plan to provide students with after school, breakfast, and lunch meals in cases where the learning institutions are shut down or when remote learning is being used was discussed on all social media platforms (Johnson, 2020). This created a sense of urgency on the issue to an extent that it was impossible to overlook the situation. Social media also created a perfect forum for communication with the social distancing restriction regulated by the government. Politicians, private institutions, government agencies, and lobbyists of the proposal utilized social media in the creation of awareness of the significance of the meals provided by the schools to the students (Washington University, 2020). Those affected by the legislation, students, and parents, also used social media to voice their support for the legislation. The utilization of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram has been instrumental in advocating for the issue.
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In conclusion, the use of social media saw more people participate in the advocacy for schools to provide food to students during the emergency shutdowns. The strategy has been effective because there is frequent communication among more people. Working as a social movement also contributed to influencing the legislators.
References
Johnson, C. (2020). Legistar.council.nyc.gov. Retrieved from https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4624881&GUID=A352B4B6-08EC-40DD-9FFF-227CB996FE5B&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=Int+2057-2020.
Washington University. (2020). Food insecurity and schools during the pandemic . Newswise.com. Retrieved from https://www.newswise.com/coronavirus/food-insecurity-and-schools-during-the-pandemic/?article_id=737280.
Steinberg, S. (2017). Advocacy: Social Media Activism's Power to Transform Law. Law Journal . https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2906557.
