When journalist Stephen Fry’s tweet:
“Nooooo! Youngs to take Cromer Crabs out of Cromer? Inconceivable. Sign petition… Keep It Cromer” went on the timeline of his three million followers, there was considerable curiosity. Alan Titchmarsh and rower Matthew Pinsent followed suit and retweeted the message, in an attempt to gain momentum to save over 230 jobs in the small town of Norfolk.
The petition named Keep it Cromer was signed by over 6,000 people and handed over to the two executives of Young’s Seafood. After a consultation with stakeholders, it was decided that Cromer Crab will continue operations in the same town, and the livelihood of workers was salvaged.
The consensus is that social media can no longer be ignored. It is serving as a voice for millions across the world. Several issues have gained importance across media, thanks to the growing support online in various forms. Be it the 95 day Manipur blockade, the fight against corruption, the SlutWalk or even female harassment, the support for such causes is flowing in abundantly. Alisha Zakira of Hollaback, blogs extensively on such issues to generate awareness and says, "With crowd sourcing technology, every person has the chance to write history; to speak out and share their stories in a space that will not disappear.”
Youngsters swear by the power of social media for many reasons— it’s easy to use, highly accessible and allows one to vent apart from giving regular updates. Film maker Neil Shah says, “For a cause that we are supporting, we have created groups on Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry Messenger. The response was phenomenal and spread so fast. This is how we are gaining mileage.”
India looks poised to have around 45 million users on networking sites by 2012. The success of the Cromer campaign reads as an encouraging sign for social causes back home.