Social media is redefining adoption by providing a means for wannabe parents to avoid agencies and wait lists. Going online is cheaper, faster and reaches a wider audience than using just print advertisements or word of mouth. Wannabe parents are uploading Youtube videos featuring a slew of photos, home tours and interviews. Some are also writing on blogs and personal web sites to give birth mothers a glimpse of their adoption journey. To help spread the word, prospective parents also are utilizing social networking sites like Twitter, Myspace and Facebook in the hope that their friends may know a potential birth mother. Social media is also used to surpass other potential couples within adoption agencies. Successful cases have been recorded on CNN and released through Youtube.
Social media is also helping same sex couples adopt children.
It seems the convenience of the web can be related to most everything. Adoption has taken a similar path as online dating. However, are the dangers associated with online dating relevant to online parent hunting? Is adoption more dangerous by this means? Can social media be used to exploit and manipulate people in tough situations? Adoption is now. Could organ donation be next? There are websites that say yes . Social media is difficult to be controlled and can spiral out of control. It seems social media can provide threats to our safety and body in certain situations. Does the law effectively protect us if it can only be applied within country boundaries? The outreach of social media allows people to work outside of their home country's laws.
On the note of adoption, surrogate mothers are now using social media to advertise their service. Here is a spoof video i thought was funny.
This is a very interesting topic.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of sketched by it - adoption is a formal process, and I fear that those who are not putting up videos on YouTube or having social media campaigns are being left out. And they may be amazing candidates.
I fear that social media makes a divide - those who are on board and know how to use it effectively are at an advantage - but those who aren't onboard, or aren't effectively using social media are probably just as qualified to be parents, and taking it outside this topic, to be employees.
So I'm not sure about this. It's an interesting and innovative idea...but I just worry about those who are left out!
Good job, Jackie, you've left me thinking!