Here’s our weekly review of what’s hot and happening in social media across Sri Lanka and the globe
What Went Viral in Sri Lanka?
- LGBT legalization
Perhaps the biggest commotion that created waves across social media in Sri Lanka recently is the controversy surrounding the LGBT exclusion from the GSP+. The GSP+ is given to countries that are known to value human rights related issues. Going so far as to “criminalise” and tag anything apart from heterosexuality a “mental illness” came out looking overly-conservative and narrow-minded more than anything else. It raises the question of whether or not the government considers the rights of the LGBT population in Sri Lanka worthy of their rights.
Facebook debated the pros and cons of the issue from various perspectives while others such as the always controversial “Gappiya” called in brave thoughts and comments from his followers. More importantly what we do need to consider is the fact that it’s 2017 and that in a time of positive and progressive attempts at development, the mindset of the public as well as influential people needs to perhaps, be a bit more liberal.
This Week’s International Hubub
- Trump goes about immigration rules with a passion
The #muslimban has raised many eyebrows with Trump and his decision to sign the executive orders to ban the immigration of and block all visas of countries that are deemed as a threat to national security. Many people who were affected by the motion took to social media to share their stories and speak out against the unfair nature of the order while many others took to the streets and flocked around at airports, railway stations and other public places to protest in support of immigrants and refugees who were stranded.
The countries are namely Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.He is also said to be all set to sign the orders to start the construction of the wall that separates Mexico from USA.
Image says it all… #MuslimBan #NoBanNoWall pic.twitter.com/EbFsbVLLmR
— Impeach Donald Trump (@Impeach_D_Trump) January 30, 2017
Incredible crowds at #PHLairport today. Philadelphia welcomes all!#NoBanNoWall #nomuslimban #Ilovephilly pic.twitter.com/EVxuKig9US
— Elisabetta Ferrari (@betty_ferrari) January 29, 2017
In addition, lawyers and other activists were live tweeting their attempts at airports against the ban.
#BREAKING: #losangeles City Atty Mike Feuer at @flyLAXairport re federal compliance w/ Court Order protecting lawful #immigrants. #StayTuned
— LA City Attorney (@CityAttorneyLA) January 29, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Stats of the Week
The Sri Lanka Telecom PLC Facebook page came in as the fastest growing brands Facebook page in Sri Lanka this week.
- Fastest-Growing Brands Twitter Profile in Sri Lanka – Mobitel Sri Lanka
The Twitter profile of Mobitel Sri Lanka could likely have been ranked as the fastest growing brands Twitter profile because of the fact that they are also advertising for myjob.lk which is a job search site. They also are currently running a cash bonanza campaign which could further increase the number of followers on twitter.
The Facebook page is a witty and controversial one that speaks about and highlights the various issues that comes up in today’s society. It also posts videos from various other sources like Gappiya as well as memes and status updates which gather a lot of shares and comments. The market is mostly the current teens to mid 20s generations which are interested in the type of discussions done on this forum.
Nirodha Abayalath or inirodha ranked as the fastest growing community Twitter Profile in Sri Lanka in the 07 days gone by. He seems to share a lot of tweets on social media as well as science and technology in addition to freelancing tips. While the account is growing, there doesn’t seem be much interaction and the follower quality is questionable. As the account is from someone working social media, we question whether they are following an effective audience strategy.
Things you should know
- LinkedIn refreshes desktop interface, emphasising content and conversation
LinkedIn is the main professional social media network, owned by Microsoft that enables professionals to connect on and build online CVs, portfolios and display your specialized skills.However, it has not been able to compete with the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Mainly because, the target markets for these social media platforms are different. And partly, because LinkedIn has not really in-kept with the many updates and “new and improved” options that other sites offer.
However, it looks like they are now catching up as according to reports, since its initial launch, LinkedIn has for the first time, updated its features and come with a brand new and much more user-friendly interface. This is a timely and much-needed improvement and time will tell if users embrace this new change.
