SOCIAL MEDIA ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN   In the age of digital connectivity, social media has become a powerful tool for advocacy, capable of reaching vast audiences and mobilizing individuals toward social change

SOCIAL MEDIA ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN

In the age of digital connectivity, social media has become a powerful tool for advocacy, capable of reaching vast audiences and mobilizing individuals toward social change. As such, social media can quickly and directly influence public health outcomes by raising awareness and sparking advocacy.

This exercise challenges you to navigate the dynamic landscape of social media, blending creativity, strategy, and social responsibility. It's an opportunity to apply your understanding of social media to real-world advocacy, developing the skills to become an effective and compassionate voice for change. 

In this Assignment, you will hone your skills in social media advocacy by taking over the account of an advocacy group for a 24-hour period.

To prepare:

• Imagine you have been asked to take over the social media account of an advocacy group for a 24-hour period. During your brief tenure, your objectives are twofold: raise awareness and increase advocacy. 
• Choose between either anti-violence against women or mental health awareness as the focus of your campaign. 
• Choose a social media platform (e.g., Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) and tailor your campaign to that platform. 
• If needed, review the Optional Resources for examples of successful public health social media campaigns. 

The Assignment: 2- to 3-page paper

Create a 24-hour social media campaign to raise awareness and spur individuals toward advocacy and action regarding your chosen topic. Your social media campaign should be approximately 2–3 pages long and contain:  

• 6 concise (1–3 sentences each) posts that raise awareness of your topic by providing background information, describing contributing factors, or using relevant statistics to highlight the significance, prevalence, and impact of this issue to individuals and society on a global scale. 
• 4 concise (1–3 sentences each) posts that increase advocacy and serve as a call to action by encouraging specific behaviors, sharing ways to get involved, asking for donations, or sharing about an upcoming event. 
• A summary (1–2 pages) of how your campaign will raise awareness and spur individuals toward advocacy and action regarding your chosen topic. 

Support your work with specific citations from this module’s Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate. 

Reading Resources:

• Merson, M. H., Black, R. E., & Mills, A. J. (2018).?Global health: Diseases, programs, systems, and policies. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 
  • Chapter 2, “Culture, Behavior and Health” (pp. 43–74) 
  • Chapter 9, “Unintentional Injuries and Violence” (pp. 381–422) 
  • Chapter 10, “Global Mental Health” (pp. 423–476)
     
• Global Health Advocacy Incubator. (2019). Public health media advocacy action guide: Elements of a media advocacy campaign what you need to know.Links to an external site. https://preventepidemics.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Elements_of_a_media_advocacy_campaign.pdf
   
• World Health Organization. (2022, June 17). Mental health.Links to an external site. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
   
• World Health Organization. (2021, March 9).?Violence against women.Links to an external site. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

Optional Resources:

• Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health [@johnshopkinssph].Links to an external site. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved October 16, 2023, from https://www.instagram.com/johnshopkinssph/?hl=en
   
• Your Local Epidemiologist.Links to an external site. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved October 16, 2023, from https://www.facebook.com/people/Your-Local-Epidemiologist/100053149454347
   
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation [@IHME_UW].Links to an external site. (n.d.). Posts [X profile]. X. Retrieved October 16, 2023, from https://twitter.com/IHME_UW