tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post8796669529582235889..comments2024-03-02T06:33:28.289-05:00Comments on Anthropology in Practice: Tweets from the Streets: An Exercise in Awareness?Krystal D'Costahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-5626442228216249582011-03-04T15:43:03.831-05:002011-03-04T15:43:03.831-05:00Hi Hasufin! Good to hear from you. I agree that in...Hi Hasufin! Good to hear from you. I agree that in general, people don't truly understand the nuances of homelessness and the variety of stories that exist. So this is a fantastic way to help increase awareness in that regard, but I'm having a hard time seeing how programs that support the homeless might benefit. I think the issue for me is that social media helps connect individuals, and you have a better sense of that you're actually helping a person. There are issues of transparency surrounding these support organizations that may be hard to overcome on social media—even though, arguably, that is in fact why so many org's are turning to social channels. <br /><br />Recently in New York, the United Homeless Organization was revealed to be a fraud (http://gothamist.com/2010/06/25/united_homeless_organization_perman.php), and I think it really makes it harder for smaller shelters to gain public support. Hopefully, these sorts of exercises will ultimately change public perception and encourage more support, but this may need to happen relatively quickly or it will be lost to the digital noise.Krystal D'Costahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-82894768443677109032011-03-03T15:39:31.221-05:002011-03-03T15:39:31.221-05:00Past a certain threshold, such efforts will just b...Past a certain threshold, such efforts will just be noise.<br /><br />However, there certainly needs to be more awareness of homeless people. I believe that people generally don't understand what homeless people are doing, or how they got in their situation.<br /><br />Increasing public awareness would hopefully yield more support for programs to help the homeless - and a better understanding of the situation should yield more effective programs as well.Hasufinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09033552756567416359noreply@blogger.com