Small Change and Strong Ties: Perspectives on Activism and Social Media

Social media do nothing for social activism. In fact, they strengthen the position of the status quo. That, at least, is the argument that the writer Malcolm Gladwell recently put forth in an essay published by The New Yorker. His views have provoked robust debate in the nonprofit world.

To offer perspective on the debate, The Chronicle brings you a podcast interview with two people who lead nonprofits that rely heavily on social media. Chris Golden is the co-founder of MyImpact.org, a group that promotes community service, and Maya Enista is the chief executive of Mobilize.org, an organization that seeks to get people in their 20s involved in efforts to solve social problems. Listen in on this discussion as they share their insights on the benefits of social media for their organizations and where they see flaws in Mr. Gladwell’s thinking.