FLINT, MICHIGAN. THE SUDANESE GENOCIDE. THE AMAZON RAINFOREST FIRES. ABORTION BANS. BLACK LIVES MATTER. HURRICANE MARIA.

These are some of the many tragic stories which, for some reason or another, rose above the hundreds of tragedies reported every day and captured the public’s attention. The recognition quickly garnered monetary support and rallied the momentum of change. Countless posts were made to spread awareness, dozens of petitions were signed to demand government intervention, thousands of profile pictures changed, millions of dollars were raised to provide adequate support; but after awhile, the world began to forget. The mobs which cried out from the injustice moved on to newer, more tantalizing issues–no matter if they were more important or not. Like children presented with a shiny, new toy, we abandoned our old friends we vowed to protect and left to fend for themselves. Without the contestation of thousands or the scrutiny of the public eye, corruption and disinterest stall any progress the media fought so hard to bring.

You’ve likely heard of every last one of these aforementioned issues, yet despite their damages persisting, you probably have not thought about them or what you can do to help since that original online frenzy. This realization should not bring feelings of impotence, rather those of reflection which begs the question of why you cared in the first place–and even further, why it stopped. The type of change these movements covet requires as much dedicated energy as a full-time job and presupposes that you are okay with ignoring the dozens of other tragedies reported every day. What good is all of this attention if nothing ever gets done? It’s incredibly easy to forget when the industries which supply our information profit off of redirecting our attention as often as possible. 

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with negative information detailing the pitfalls of humanity, it is not hard to feel distraught and wonder if anything we are doing truly makes a difference; afterall, the brief “feel-good” stories which finalize the news don’t really do much dissuade the thirty minutes of abject horror they follow. So what can we honestly do? If those few seconds of posts and changes and donations just aren’t nearly enough to create meaningful change, is there anything within our power than can? When our little gifts of empathy aren’t enough, what is?

Well, my conclusion is neither simple nor pretty–I cannot, in good conscious, espouse the typical “you can do anything!” narrative of most blogs–it will take concerted time, effort, and the acknowledgement that you cannot do it all. But you can legitimately make a difference if you follow a few simple steps.

1. 1. Pick and issue and stick with it. Although it may be easy to allow yourself to be swept up in the chaos of social media and fixate on the next issue du jour, you cannot accomplish anything if you are trying to accomplish everything. There will always be another tragedy that demands uproar
   2. Figure out what others are already doing. In your quest to make a difference, it is all too simple to put aside altruism in the name or recognition and approval. Joining a project someone else has already begun will not garner as much praise or feelings of importance so you may initially set their ideas aside; however, be honest with yourself and ask: can something I come up with genuinely make more of a positive impact than something already tried, established, and proven? If the answer is you, you know how to proceed.
   3. Don’t allow others to become bored or forget. In recognizing how many of the catastrophic events people have so easily forgotten, you may be quick to try and shove your issue down everyone’s throats and demand acknowledgement; what this approach fails to consider is that overexposure forces desensitization and an ambivalence just as strong as ignorance.
   4. Know that your little actions are meaningful. It is not realist to believe that you can and will eliminate every problem you encounter. Some are so much bigger than you are, but that does not mean you can’t knock them down a peg and make it easier for the next person to tackle.

Living amongst seven billion people, it is easy to feel that one person cannot make a difference. But we are not alone. While its may feel like every action is a mere drop in comparison to an ocean, these little drops continue to accumulate until, eventually, we have an ocean of our own. Our ocean of action may not be as big or as powerful as its opposition, but if we can make a difference for even one person, won’t it all have been worth it?

The double-edged sword of social media’s attention brings with it both hope in accountability and toxicity with mob mentality; but it is possible to twist both to your advantage. By choosing to focus on what really matters to you and refusing to allow yourself to be drowned out by the noise of negativity, you can help make the news just a little bit happier.

Please consider my light-box that contains several successful images in the “STYLE” that I have developed.http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.phpaction=file&lightboxID=7644037A grungy, grainy black and white collage made up of newspaper clippings pertaining to topic of the December 2012 School shooting massacre in Newtown Conn.