How Social Networking Impacts the Jewish Community
Source: Baltimore Jewish Times
Social media is making it easier to be Jewish. For a people who have fretted over a loss of identity for generation after generation — especially in America — innovations like Twitter and Facebook are nothing less than, dare we say, a godsend.
As social media become an extremely popular mode of global communication and social interaction, it provides a platform for Jewish learning, socializing, organizing and fundraising. The internet is making it easier for Jews all around the world to find and engage themselves. The Jewish blogosphere raises issues and initiates vibrant conversations encouraging extra-organizational innovation, particularly among the younger generation.
Social media has turned the Web from an information storage locker into a two-way conversation; and it’s a conversation that knows no physical boundaries. You no longer have to live in a Jewish neighborhood to find a life in an active, thriving Jewish community. There are thousands on the Web, with more being added every day.
It’s also a fast and easy way for Jewish organizations to get the word out, whether it’s the local synagogue announcing its study group or a host of fund-raisers who have discovered they can raise money more effectively — with fewer expenses — by using the tools of social media.
For many, social media is the means to an end, with the online experience translating to opportunities to meet, talk and organize in the real world. Surfers can now share video presentations, photo and artistic images, blog posts and Torah novellae with friends around the globe and carry on meaningful exchanges about them all.
Social media is changing the world — in a hurry — and that can be truly meaningful for Jews.