Social Impact with Emma » social media : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Listen to the Voice!

September 6th, 2015

Democracy is a very fluid thing, isn’t it. It is sometimes a difficult environment in which to find the right place – that niche where you feel you can operate as an effective human being. There are, actually, so many options – sometimes almost too many. But democracy gives you that freedom. The lead singer […]

Is Sports Intended to Unite Us?

August 25th, 2015

Watching the World Athletics Championships in Beijing over the weekend, I started philosophizing to myself about sports in general – and athletics, in particular, as it relates to Jamaica. What is the point of sports, actually, in today’s world of doping and company endorsements and social media, with every sports personality tweeting about him/herself? What […]

Down With Slacktivism! UWI Leads Seeks an Activist Voice

August 18th, 2015

A few days ago, I spoke to a group of University of the West Indies students about “Finding My Activist Voice Through Social Media: Activism vs. Slacktivism.” That last word was a new one for me, but I was honored to be invited to talk to such a bright group of young people, and it was […]

The Language of Politics

July 15th, 2015

It is almost magnetic. What is it about that simple instrument, the microphone, that drags those words out of us, like the pull of a magnet? Those words that one is likely to regret afterwards, but can never fully retract? Once the microphone has captured your voice, your utterances, there is no going back. You […]

The Age of Narcissus

March 3rd, 2015

Narcissus was a foolish youth. Foolish, and beautiful. When I was doing “A” Level Latin at school – many moons ago – I remember reading parts of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses,” including the story of Narcissus and poor little Echo, who followed him around. Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a forest pool. So […]

The Perils of the Wild Wood: Social Media and Politicians

January 5th, 2015

If in doubt… Don’t. Just don’t go there. That’s my advice, dear politician. Let me give you an illustration of what I am talking about. When I was growing up, I was very fond of an English classic called “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame (he was one of those children’s writers who was […]

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