Spreading the love #Venezuela

#Power #LatinAmerica #Venezuela

Image by Dailymail

The Venezuelan movements that began earlier this year have been perfect examples of how Social Media, and even traditional media from other countries, have helped spread the message about a current existing situation in another country. The #SOSVenezuela campaign was started by its own people (Venezuelans), not an agency, which makes it an even bigger deal of how fast media works. The country’s cries for help reached all across #LatinAmerica, ranging from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and even parts of the United States.

The best part of how this particular campaign was carried out was its principle form of transmission, which was through internet sharing (going viral). With the country undergoing a media blackout, people sharing it all across the internet became its main vector. They would often post pictures of them supporting the country with signs saying “I support Venezuela”, or a variation of said message, along with a Venezuelan flag in the background; other times, they would go out to public manifestations of Venezuelans within their country to show their support. Others carried out blogs that detailed the extent of the country’s negative situations.

While difficult to monitor the extent of their success, as the protests progressed, it became clear that there were media blackouts being carried out across the country in order to suppress images of Maduro’s campaign, with several different media outlets in all around the world.

The fact that the country was able to find such a large support outside of its own borders was also crucial to its effectiveness; the Dominican Republic, Miami, and other locations meant that even with the media blackout, its voice was able to reach far beyond its own borders, even though it wasn’t through official means. While the protests are still ongoing, and the effects that this support may or may not have are questionable, if any, there’s no doubt that the viral nature of this campaign was what allowed for the Venezuelan’s voices to be heard so loudly over the course of these four months of protests; even with a media blackout, their support continues to grow.

So, are you one of us? Join us with a #SOSVenezuela!

Adriana Valencia