Doing good through digital: The case for ethical social media

The 2nd annual Social Good Summit took place this week. Organised specifically for world leaders to meet and discuss the role digital technology can play in responding to some of our toughest societal challenges, the conference attracted a diverse mix of politicians, business heavyweights and social media experts along with a number of notable philanthropic Hollywood stars.

For many, the link between social media platforms and the recent UK riots placed a significant question mark over the value of social networking. However, timed to coincide with UN Week, the forum has been a great reminder of the potential that is Social Media. A number of organisations chose to use the platform to launch new programmes. Howard W. Buffett unveiled the new Learning by Giving Foundation, a website and education initiative aimed to develop the investment skills of students and young adults. Dollars to Projects, an online tool which tracks and links every single dollar donated to 'Charity:Water' was also launched, enabling donors to receive specific, tangible information about the impact their support is having to one of the many projects taking place around the world.

Tony Bates, CEO for Skype spoke of the impact his organisation was having on global education. Education.Skype.com provides a digital forum enabling teachers to connect with others for the benefit of their students. According to Bates, over 16,000 members have joined in the last six months, making over 11,000 connections to other classrooms around the world.

After three days of heavy debate and discussion, all streamed live to the web, and followed by over 13,000 through Twitter, the underlying message from the conference appears to be simple: more must be done with the digital resources already available. With greater opportunity for collaboration, communication and connections than ever before, digital technology can be a powerful, creative platform for global improvement and innovation.

For more information about the Social Good Summit, or to hear from this year's speakers, click here.

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