I don't know if I can change the world, but I feel like if there is the possibility that something that I could do might make things just a tiny bit better for even ONE person its worth a try.
The internet is an AMAZING tool. With only a few keystrokes, you can reach the WORLD. This tool is a gift that is often misused because we fail to see and appreciate its full potential.
Twenty-six percent of consumers are digital omnivores (own a laptop, smartphone and tablet).
It is estimated that 80% of people have access to the internet either at work or at home, meaning that only 20% percent of the entire United States' population does not have regular internet access. This is an AMAZING fact. We have been granted an amazing gift!
There are many different reasons that people may decide to log on.The internet can be used to increase productivity, cultivate knowledge, communicate, or it may be used for sheer entertainment.
I was fortunate enough to be exposed to computers from a young age. My grandfather was an architect and, as far back as my memory reaches, my grandparents always had a computer in their home. I, fondly, remember the days of DOSS,and the emergence of the groundbreaking Windows OS.
When I was younger my grandparents bought me lots of computer games, but all of the games, that I can remember, had educational value. I also remember spending hours upon hours "painting" in M.S. Paintbrush, and allowing my imagination to run wild.
Today, the video games that children play do not seem to have nearly as much educational value. I believe them be addicting, especially for young minds, and many experts agree that violent video games such as Halo and Grand Theft Auto carry the potential to adversely effect learning and behavior.
Only in my most recent adult years, am I truly beginning to understand the full potential of the internet, and more specifically social media.
It is estimated that more than half of the worlds population uses social media, and 1.11 billion people are currently signed up to use Facebook. Twitter currently has 554,750,000 users. As of January 2013, LinkedIn reached 200 million members, Pinterestis only 3 years old and already has 48.7 million users.
Imagine the reach one person could have if they utilize ALL of these, and other various FREE social networking giants.
What if ONE person was to REALLY uses all of these sites to deploy positive messages to the world?
How many people could that one person reach? What if everybody that that first person reached decided to reach out to their own networks, and the chain continued down the line, reaching more and more people?
I don't know if I can change the world, but if something I share can make ONE person's life just a LITTLE bit better, than all of my time and social media posts are more than worth it.
I have started an experiment - an event on Facebook. On it I have shared the one of the most AMAZING passages that I have EVER found on the internet. I am hoping that my "Facebook friends" will share it with their friends, and by the end of the year, I will be able to see how far this event has spread.
The event page is called "Be The Change We Wish To See In The World."
I don't know how many people I will be able to reach with this event page. I may not reach many people, but ever single person counts and everybody I reach is equally important.
It takes lots of people to change the world... but LOTS of people ARE on the internet. Please share.
