Randi Zuckerberg Takes on AIDS with Social Media
Your social media feeds are most likely filled with messages about #superbowl, #tombrady, or #justinbieber, but soon it might be filled with messages about AIDS in Africa.
Randi Zuckerberg, Facebook’s former director of marketing, recently launched a new “social media syndicate” intended to push out important messages to raise social issue awareness. She plans on coordinating with the “1,000 most influential individual publishers” to start caring more about social issues to solve world problems, Zukerberg said. R to Z Media’s goal is to “help provide a structure for passionate social changers to unite them.”
The company’s first mission is to end the fight of mother-to-child AIDS transmission by 2015. This goal aligns with many other organizations who are also committed to making this goal a reality. With over 400,000 babies are born with AIDS every year, this seems to be a lofty goal. However, UN experts say this is possible if governments (mostly in Africa, businesses, and non-governmental organizations work on prevention and distribution.
R to Z aims to leverage influential social media users to focus on the same issue at the same time. Zuckerberg states that when “you have a lot of different people who stand for different causes, but not in a unified manner,” this weakens the impact of the messages.
By following these influencers’ messages, it puts pressure on people to act on certain causes. The company will ultimately serve as a way to raise funds for awareness to certain causes. Take the recent SOPA anti-piracy bill put into effect. User generated social media outcry was a unified example of coordinated messaging from millions of people that had great impact. The tweets you send can help make it feel as if you’ve participated in making social change happen. However, just by tweeting and facebooking, this will not ultimately solve all of the world’s problems. It’s necessary to take physical action as well.
ONE® Condoms encourages making a difference in your community by spreading the universal practice of safe sex message. ONE® is also committed to eliminating the AIDS virus. A portion of every ONE® Condoms sale goes towards HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad.
Would you help spread the message of certain unified causes to make a more drastic impact?
Safe is Sexy Pillow Fight Campaign by Designers Against AIDS
In Antwerp, Belgium, Designers Against AIDS recently used interactive billboards for passers-by to join in on a virtual pillow fight with Belgian supermodel Hennelore Knuts.
Travelers and commuters enjoyed groundbreaking entertainment as thy waited for their trains by partaking in a larger than life pillow fight. As people passed the massive projection screen, they would see themselves hit by Hennelore with a feather-filled pillow.
The interactive screen was part of a campaign by Belgian fashion label JBC and marked the launch of the Designers Against AIDS by JBC Fashion Collection. This Collection will raise funds for Designers Against AIDS. DAA is an international charity that uses pop culture and design to raise awareness for AIDS and to promote safe sex.
ONE® Condoms appreciates creative marketing initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS. A portion of every ONE® Condoms purchase goes towards HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad.
You can Check out the DAA campaign here.
Friday Links Roundup 12/16/11 - Condoms, Safe Sex, Sex Education
Poster Art as a Weapon in the War Against AIDS
Since the AIDS epidemic erupted in 1981, many creative mediums have tried to communicate awareness of the disease by urging people and governments to act, listen, and learn. The inexpensive poster quickly became the weapon of choice in combatting AIDS. Visual design has played a huge role in spreading knowledge for the war against AIDS. Today protest materials such as Keith Harring’s work (portrayed above) are considered modern masterpieces.
Posters became the best method of communicating the AIDS virus because of their low-cost nature, ease of replacement, and their impact on public visibility. Posters have a way of grabbing attention in order to encourage action. Poster creators wanted to”claim power and attention,” for their cause, according to art historian Joan Saab. Protestors would say “if the state or the institutions aren’t going to support the cause, we’re going to do it ourselves.” This generated massive public strength against the virus. The posters were meant to educate populations that were unaware of the disease and its dangers.
Today, AIDS posters are not as commonplace as in the past. The AIDS virus has become more normalized and become more acceptable to talk about these days. Now, it’s written into sexual education curriculums and is tested for in pregnant women’s prenatal care. 30 years ago, people didn’t know what it was or how it spread. Due to the prevalence of visual art, people now know about AIDS.
Although many points of views have been visually represented throughout time, the poster gave way for all audiences to find their own point of entry to the AIDS discussion.
For more on AIDS posters, visit this article on “30 Years of AIDS: 6,200 Iconic Posters, 100 Countries, 1 Collector”
A portion of every ONE® Condoms sale goes to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad. ONE® Condoms supports self-expression and visual storytelling to emphasize important public topics.
AIDS Prevention Programs in Massachusetts Experience Budget Cuts
Announced on Friday, many key HIV and AIDS prevention programs in Massachusetts will be slashed due to cuts in federal funding. The Mass. Department of Public Health is forced into a $4.3 million funding reduction, $2.3 Million of which is required to be phased out by January. This is about 1/4 of the state’s annual AIDS prevention budget.
The major services that will be cut back significantly include the distribution of free condoms to schools, colleges, and health facilities, public awareness media ads, and community case manager training. Many education programs, including one that sends counselors to night clubs frequented by high risk populations to distribute condoms, will also be slashed.
These budget cuts come from an overall shift in the way the federal government allocates its money. The Center for Disease Control is focusing its resources in other areas of the country with higher rates of HIV transmission compared to that of Massachusetts. 10 years ago, Mass. recorded almost 1,000 new HIV cases a year, whereas a decade later that number has dropped under 500 new cases a year. It is one of the few states where HIV infection actually went down.
ONE of the more active AIDS prevention programs in the state, the AIDS Action Committee of Mass., will be forced to shut down a multitude of its programs including its HIV Hot Line. The Hot Line, which has operated for over 25 years, services most of Southern New England as the Action Committee picked up coverage for Rhode Island when the government chose to cut its funding. Though not all details have been released yet, additional programs will be forced to stop service.
We here at ONE are absolutely outraged at these budget cuts. We support the value of all these essential AIDS prevention programs strongly as they resonate and support local communities. As you may know, ONE Condoms donates a portion of each sale to HIV prevention efforts at home and abroad.
ONE Condoms will be sure to keep you informed on these important budget cuts and let you know how you can help save the Massachusetts AIDS prevention programs.
