The Importance of Technology in Reaching Present Communities


As my first blog, I’d like to express something that I have learned over the past semester. I am currently an MSW student and am enrolled in a Community Work SW class that extends over the entire school year. My professor is very thought provoking and has a teaching method of pushing his students to achieve more, sometimes by going beyond our comfort zones to try new methods of reaching people and spreading our ideas. At first, a couple of our assignments were met with resistance from my class. These assignments required internet blogging and creating a “youtube” clip expressing social action. The argument ranged from not being tech savvy to not wanting to be viewed publicly. For myself, I was weary of meeting my professor’s and the world’s standards with my writing. So, here I am, writing my first blog, understanding that it isn’t so hard, and realizing once again that my procrastination is my biggest handicap.

I have learned through several events since starting the fall semester just how important it is for us as community gatherers, to harness and utilize technology. We are riding the wave of the future and for us not to use technology to help spread information would be like stepping off our surfboards while trying to stay on top of the wave. So many of us use the internet as part of our daily lives and as a way of accessing our daily news and information. It makes perfect sense to utilize this tool to spread our messages and attract people to join our groups. And, best of all, it is instantaneous and currently free.

I decided to write a blog on this topic after reading Noam Chomsky’s essay entitled Media Control. He highlights how and why our media was developed and the power it has in controlling the public opinion. In 1916, the Creel Commission was developed under Woodrow Wilson. The purpose of this committee was to study and develop methods of propaganda to sway public opinion, from the pacifist thinking that the country was under to a war mongering mentality, in order to become involved in World War I. This idea became a method of controlling the public mind and has proven to be successful ever since. Chomsky states that propaganda “when supported by the educated classes and when no deviation is permitted from it, can have a big effect” (2002). This was also a lesson that Hitler learned from and was successful in controlling an army to carry out atrocities. If swaying the public mind can be used to stimulate war, it can also be used to create peace.

We, as social workers and community gatherers, have to learn from these examples as well. Much like state propaganda, if we get our messages broadcast through the available media sources, we will be able to attract the attention of the masses. The internet is an excellent tool for us to take advantage of, in order to attract people to our causes so that we are able to have a profound effect when trying to rally the public to understand injustices and strive for justice for all.

Chomsky, N. (2002). Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda (2nd Edition). New York: Seven Stories Press.