Kirsten Horne from Earth Touch TV made this great video documentary on the promise and peril of social media’s role in nature conservation. Kirsten interviewed me while I was doing my fieldwork in South Africa last April. I think the video is very powerful, but do let me know what you think by posting comments below or on Facebook!
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Absolutely fantastic documentary – thank you for making this! It was much needed. I just hope that we can somehow use it for good and contact large conservation NGOs to inform them of how damaging some of their hate-spreading campaigns may be.
I am glad that the reality of this complex issue is at last being discussed. Social media can, & does, support the issues of conservation. However, it would be incredible if for every like, & for that matter every ‘rant’, via social media provided a single US$ to those who are actively working on the front-lines to ameliorate these issues…this is where the ‘energy’ & ‘money’ is required.
I agree with the statement : “the more information out there–through social media–to different communities, the most powerful it is”. The concern I have is with the type of information people are getting from conservation organizations. Usually, the information simplifies very complex realities on the ground. Another point that concerns me is the continuous use of the ‘Arab spring’ to praise social media as a tool for ‘social change’. Again, I found this comparison as a dangerous comparison.