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Throughout this course, you have had opportunities to conduct research on many topics related to social change and social change movements

Sociology

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Throughout this course, you have had opportunities to conduct research on many topics related to social change and social change movements. Take some time to revisit the sources you used. Consider the following questions: Which stand out as particularly significant? Which would you recommend to a colleague? Which sources have most influenced your own professional interests and/or practice? Reflect on your initial thinking about the historical role of the psychologist as a social change agent (discussed in Week 2). How has your perception of that role changed? What would you consider to be the role of the psychologist as a social change agent today?

BY DAY 6

Post by Day 6 your responses to the following:

• Evaluate the impact of this course on your understanding of social change.
• Which topics, activities, or discussions stand out as having particular impact on your understanding of social change?
• How has your understanding of the role of psychologists in serving as agents of social change been influenced?
• What actions might you continue or pursue in your role as an agent of social change?
• How has your understanding of the role of the psychologist as a social change agent changed as a result of this course? Share a brief comparison of the role of the psychologist as a social change agent today to the historicalSocial Change Communication Plan Social Change Communication Plan Program Transcript In an age of advanced media and communication technology, people are moving away from answering home phones, reading print newspapers and shopping only in brick and mortar retail outlets. Businesses have to go where customers are, and they are online using social media. Technology can also be used to market social change messages. There are several advantages for using social media to promote social change. Speed, for one, is a major benefit. On demand videos and podcasts offer instantaneous access to advertising versus having to wait for a television ad to air, word of mouth advertising to spread or a mass mailing to be delivered. Interestingly, the meaning of word of mouth advertising has changed over the years, thanks to virtual applications like email and blogging. People can now discuss their opinions online by posting product reviews. Another advantage of using social media is cost. Social media channels, such as blog sites, are often free or low cost compared to expensive print ads. To generate positive public relations, companies can use social media to reach their customers, employees and other influential persons. Businesses are becoming more sophisticated at using social media channels to reach consumers. BMW, for example, created a Facebook page to launch their new 1 Series of compact coops and convertibles. They wanted to assure customers that even though the cars were smaller and less expensive, they would live up to the industry standard of all other BMWs. The company also held a graffiti car contest, hosted on Facebook, where people could submit illustrations of the 1 Series coops decorated however they would like. This contest swept across Facebook and it received more than 9,000 submissions in its first week. More than 2,000 people became fans, or linked to the site. Starbucks started a blog based site that allows customers and employees to interact online. Posts range from rants from employees about company policy to posts from customers on the day's flavors. Starbucks designed the site so that the conversations could not be edited, so both good and bad things are listed about the company. This gave the site credibility in the eyes of the consumer. And therefore, Starbucks could receive more honest feedback. If the company wanted to influence negative feedback, they could implement new changes to alter the criticism. This, of course, cannot be done for every disgruntled employee or unhappy customer. But by paying close attention to the blog, Starbucks stays in sync with its employees and consumers. When Popeye's Chicken wanted to reach out to consumers, they begin to use Twitter and Facebook. They designed a page that has a link to the Popeye's © 2015 Laureate Education, Inc. 1 Social Change Communication Plan website, where consumers can learn about the company, nutrition information, find locations and print out coupons. This use of social media is helping Popeye's build brand awareness, create a community of patrons as well as spur impulse purchases. Customer service is another reason why more and more companies are using social media. By monitoring these sites, companies like Southwest Airlines ensure a good customer experience. They employ a team to receive feedback to conversations on numerous social media sites in order to respond to their customers quickly. An example of a missed customer service opportunity is the blissful ignorance UHaul showed after an unhappy customer posted comments on Twitter. He complained online about his experience with the company. And within a few days, it had snowballed into hundreds of posts from consumers, all about the same type of negative experience. The original complainant tried several times to contact U-Haul directly and did eventually exchange emails with the CEO, but he ultimately chose to use another company. Companies of all sizes can benefit from the use of social media tools. If used and maintained properly, the possibilities are limitless. © 2015 Laureate Education, Inc. 2