Trinidad & Tobago’s Newsday featured an article entitled Facebook Group against $2M Flag. Apparently, some caring soul created a Facebook group in response to our Government’s spending habits.
Naturally, I went across to Facebook to investigate. The Newsday reported 2 million against $2million flag!!’s membership at 1,812 members at 3.30pm Monday 09 November. Today, Wednesday at 12noon the group now boasts 5,664 members!
Wow! That’s more than Scorch Magazine’s 5,610 fans! ( As at Wed 11 Nov, 12noon)
Well, let’s examine this phenomenon through a social media lens:
1. We’ve got a Hot Topic
People are really passionate about this issue. Rightly so. There are so many challenges facing this country, lack of national flags is not anywhere near the T&T’s Top 500 Problems list.
2. We’ve got Exposure
It was printed in the Newsday. I don’t know Newsday’s readership off the top of my head but let’s say 100,000 people read that article, of that, about a fraction have Facebook accounts, and a fraction of that are passionate enough about the fiasco to take the time to look it up on Facebook. So we’re down to 1,000 people. Those 1,000 people join the group and their 10,000 friends are notified.
3. We’ve got Opportunity
The opportunity was there wide open. Angry people needing to vent their frustration. Karen Salma A. created the group, she and Isa Mohammed invited their friends, their friends invited their friends. Newsday picked up the story… the rest is history.
4. We’ve got Timeliness
If I remember correctly, the $2M flag story broke 2-3 weeks ago, if Minister Hunt had been up-front about the price tag and not hemmed and hawed his way through a week of I can’t tell you’s and I telling you is $18,000, man’s maybe the issue would have blown over (somewhat) by now. The Facebook group dropped right in time, before we forgot about it and moved on to the latest Executive Decree Decision.
Edit:
5. We’ve got Convenience
The boss reminds me about the convenience aspect. How could I forget? One click and you’ve Made a Statement. A statement about who you are and what you care about. No heavy-duty activism required. No need to go tramping around the capital city for miles and miles, in the hot noonday sun holding standards and placards. Wey yuh feel it is?? Cahneeval time, a wha??
Karen Salma A. is now my social media hero.
Check back for more on this issue. I’ll try for an interview with the now famous/infamous Karen Salma A. I’m interested to know the success of any follow-up actions taken by the group. They have an online petition going.
Comments? Any actions you suggest Ms Salma A. should take?
Edit: Learn more about this meme in our Interview with Karen Salman A.