Ok, ok. I know I've written a post before approving of Ricky
Gervais’ use of Twitter but bear with me.
One of the great things about social media is that it
expands the reach of important messages that couldn't be spread around as much
before. A single tweet can reach millions of people – this is something new and
it can be very powerful.
Couple this with the celebrity culture we live in. The masses
who follow celebs online. Who drink in every word they say. Who shape their
lives around those public figure they adore.
This, ladies and gents, is power in all its 21st
century glory. Unfortunately, most who would exert the most influence decide
instead to flaunt themselves and use social as another platform to flog their
product. Sigh.
But there is hope – in the unlikely form of the man who is
infamous for his borderline offensive (to some more sensitive types, anyway) stand-up
comedy – Ricky Gervais. As I mentioned in the previous post, he talks a lot
about animal welfare issues, including this colourfully worded (a warning for
the aforementioned sensitive types) post on Facebook:
“So what?” I hear you ask. Well, here’s what. That post has
been liked over 200 thousand times. That has appeared in the news feed of more
than 200,000 people, plus his 2.9 million Facebook fans.
And it’s not just the reach of what he does. It’s the
conviction with which he does it and the passion he shows. Sure, some may not
like the language he uses but if that’s what it takes to get the point across, what’s
the big deal?
How many celebrities show publicly their loathing for the
barbarism our species shows? Gervais is exerting his influence to make a
positive difference in the world (which is more than can be said for most
politicians…) and that should never be seen as anything but a good thing,
regardless of how he does it.
And in fact, he still uses comedy to try and get his point
across:
I want celebrities on Twitter and Facebook to follow suit.
Gervais is good for social media and in fact, (I can’t believe I’m saying
this), he is good for humanity. Not just for highlighting issues, but for doing
it in a way that makes us share his passion and do something about it. He may
be brash, a little offensive at times but I still say that this world needs
more Ricky Gervais’.
