As the armed conflict in Rakhine State continues to escalate, forcing over 120,000 Rohingya Muslims from their homes, another war rages online as social media becomes the battlefield for winning hearts, minds and international support. The impact of social media in the latest clashes is proving a powerful tool with counter-narratives being thrown from each side.
Facebook has removed several posts made by people smugglers openly advertising to attract migrants seeking passage to Europe. Written in Arabic, many of the posts were accompanied by videos and testimonials of what the smugglers claim are successful trips across the Mediterranean from Turkey to Greece, and from Egypt to Italy. All were written in recent months, a time of year when many people attempt the journey.
Brandon Stanton's popular photography blog and Facebook page features often inspirational and thought-provoking interviews with everyday New Yorkers, and it’s grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2010. [...] "The key to all film, really, and certainly to the documentary films we do, is storytelling,” she said. “This is storytelling at its core, at its most visceral. That really appealed to us. People really open themselves up in a way that continues to surprise me."
The United Nations OCHA has launched an advocacy campaign that bring awareness to civilian casualties in war.
At the USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) we research and analyze the ways organizations use social media and digital tools. In our efforts and collaborations, we’ve identified some top tactics that can benefit any organization. [...] How can you sustain your expanded network and leverage social media to maximum benefit in building a stronger and more engaged community?
This week's headlines look at the role of the internet and social media in public diplomacy.
Facebook will become the suggester of perspective to avoid being the “arbiter of truth”. It’s rolling out “Related Articles” that appear below news links to stories lots of people are posting about on Facebook, or that are suspected to be false news and have been externally fact checked by Facebook’s partners. [...] Pre-click Related Articles are rolling out in the US, Germany, France, and Netherlands today.