Protestors have used a variety of social media tools to coordinate activities, communicate messages of support and raise funds for the ongoing campaign. 

Many innovative uses for new social technologies have emerged including:

• Messaging app Vibe which has been dubbed “the anonymous, activist version of Twitter” because it enables users to chat anonymously with people nearby without necessarily knowing them;
• Live  video streaming is being used to broadcast protest actions to a global audience as events happen on the ground;
• The movement has its own website, Twitter, Facebook and Meetup groups that have enabled the protests to be replicated in other cities around the world including Melbourne and Sydney; 
• Donors from across the globe have been ordering pizzas, subs and other food to hungry protesters in solidarity with the movement;

These developments reflect a fundamental shift in how people come together, connect and share media, information and other resources.  The case studies described here provide much food for thought for brands and digital marketers given how quickly the technology and media landscape is evolving.

How are you leveraging social technologies to enable your customers to build a movement around your brand, products and services?

Image courtesy of Todd Blaisdell via a Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0)  license.