People today feel more divided than ever, and with social media rapidly spreading opinions, it is easy to see why.
If you look across your social media news feed, you will see posts you absolutely love and then there will be posts you absolutely hate! Political, social and religious discussions drive opinions to what is “right” compared to what is “wrong” and can create an “us” versus “them” environment.
And if you share your opinion too often online, you could see it rapidly descending into a spate of name-calling and fighting among friends who do not see eye to eye. Every day, heated discussions fill social media feeds and negativity dominates the news cycle. You only have to look in the Facebook comments section on stories about vaccinations to see the descent into chaos.
People are looking to organisations like Rotary to mend the current societal divide and facilitate connections in person and on social media.
People want to be brought together, we crave human to human connection, and this is where Rotary clubs can help; we carry out service projects and help communities in so many different ways that it makes Rotary appealing to a diverse range of potential new members.
But how can your club use social media to connect people? Well, create engaging interactive social content on your Facebook page, highlight common interests that appeal to your community and promote offline events like your fun runs, bike classics, market stall days, etc.
Social media has made it easy for Rotary to talk about our “product” to large groups of potential new members. But these people want to have more than just the same old boring selling points and information from clubs.
These potential new members want to learn about the people who make up their local Rotary clubs. If your club wants to foster a genuine connection with the people in your community, then you will need to think beyond what your club “sells” and consider the needs and desires of the people who may want to get involved with Rotary.
Rotary can bridge the divide between groups that wouldn’t otherwise communicate with one another.
We can use our social media presence to raise awareness around important issues, we can invite people to join meaningful conversations and even build communities that spark long-term connections both online and off.
The ways and means are there -- clubs just need to use them to really connect with their audience, and if we do it well, we will heal divisions and bring people together; in fact, it’s what we have been doing for well over 100 years.
Article by Evan Burrell