How can social media mobilize our Deaf community socially, politically, linguistically, and economically? Social media is a form of bilingual human interaction which is compatible with the Deaf community’s culture of collectivism. The Deaf community is the very first group of people to use social media to change the status quo: Gallaudet University’s second protest. We also used it to stop AB 2072 from becoming a law. We are still not tapping into the full potential of this platform. The workshop gives us the opportunity to explore new ideas of preserving, protecting, and promoting our Deaf schools and American Sign Language via social media platforms.
Julie Rems-Smario and Jon Savage – Presenters at Deaf Awareness Day (DAD) – San Diego – Oct. 1st, 2011
More info about DAD [Click here]
True, the deaf haven’t an clue how to utilise social media for campaign use. Then again that is the nature of social sites, they aren’t interested in issues as such, they are SOCIAL areas. However business/charities are using it to target us. If you have an ‘localised’ campaign then the validity of using ‘support’ from the net is neutralised. You have to mobilise LOCALLY. No ‘system’ is going to take notice of e.g. an petition signed by an 1,000 Americans for saving an school in Rome…. America has deaf numbers, the UK hasn’t and, isn’t showing any signs (!) of anything resembling an unity of view we are too fragmented despite social media, which incidentally here have an tendency to block people who raise ‘issues’ all the time. Social media also tends to formulate cliques and disseminate the deaf community so the aspect of community is not all that clear, and support difficult to raise. I ended up marching to London on my own to raise an issue, because social media is about personalities not communities.
Will there be a ustream.tv streaming of this? would like to watch!
Jared, That’s excellent idea to have ustream.tv streaming of our presentation. I will see what I can do. Thank you for suggest.
All I need to know is WHAT TIME??? 🙂