We all know about the tragic loss of Jamie Hubley, the 15 year old Ottawa student who recently killed himself in part because he was bullied for being gay. In this case, I want to focus more on how social media naturally helped raise the issues of bullying and homophobia without any sort of real strategy.. which in a sense is the ultimate strategy.
When news of Jamie’s death spread, he suddenly became a hit online. His homemade YouTube videos of him singing to Lady Gaga and other artists were immediately downloaded and shared with thousands online. This helped to paint a real portrait of him and it was something traditional news media could point to in order to keep his story real and alive. He became a real person, not just a name.
Jamie’s online presence, including his blog, raised his notoriety enough that he became known to many across Canada, including high profile people like federal politicians, newspaper columnists and comedian Rick Mercer. Anti-homophobia and anti-bullying videos were made and uploaded in his honour, including by members of the Conservative government. This took these issues to a higher level, gave it greater importance on a national stage (whether or not the Tories actually do something is another issue!) But when Rick Mercer this week ranted about Jamie and bullying in his weekly show, the rant soon went viral. And that is the ultimate achievement, whether on purpose or not. Rick’s rant was popping up on Facebook, Twitter, in newspapers and online communities. People were finally talking about real solutions to this epidemic problem with teenagers.
So while the fallout to this story was not necessarily a planned strategy, the online reaction shows just how powerful the social web can be as a vehicle for discussion and change when influencers use it and engage with others. And that is something to keep in mind when working on any strategy – sometimes it’s how you respond to another issue that makes all the difference.
I had definitely heard of this story through traditional and social media and, although a tragic story, it shows how powerful it spread through social media even if it was unplanned. The messages coming out are so strong and it seems as though it garnering the attention of the right people - the politicians - but also people like Rick Mercer who have a large following to ensure the word spreads. Like you pointed out, Sarah, the politicians used this story to make anti-bullying videos but what next? It is interesting if any changes come out of any of this.
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