New Media vs Traditional
Have you ever thought about the difference between the newer form of media versus the more traditional stuff? Think social media where we look up things that we’re interested in versus a broadcast style that only lets us watch or listen to one thing and it’s rarely something we choose to watch or look up. Maybe I’m interested and will tune in, but maybe not.
Let’s take three examples from Mozambique. We’ve got TV Mozambique, the state-run TV channel. You can tune in and see what the state wants you to be thinking about, and perhaps even what NOT to be thinking about based on what they choose to avoid, or give a one-sided opinion on. Same with Radio Mozambique. But then we’ve got Facebook groups popping up all over the place, like one called Yao de Raca, where I can choose to follow it and participate and get feedback on my posts or comment on what others post.
Whatever we create for a Media to Movements strategy should be more in the new media format. While we are wanting to find the right people, we want it to be them who find us because they are searching for something they are interested in.
The I Am Yawo Project website I made isn’t broadcasting to the masses. Users have to be looking for it. Traditional media like the Christian Books, DVDS, and microSD cards I’ve distributed in the past to Yawo friends don’t have a feedback loop. They aren’t interactive. They can be part of an overall strategy, but for this project we need to focus on new media using newer tech platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.
But just how new should the new media be that we create? Could I repurpose the static website I’ve already set up years ago, or make something fresh focusing solely on the content and types of people we are hoping to catch?
Questions for discussion:
After visiting ciyawo.org, consider if you think it could be repurposed to become a website focused on a Media to Movements strategy?
Why or why not?
Have you seen examples of other groups doing a good job of drawing people towards Jesus online?
