Task Force: Design a Social Media PSA

Congratulations!

You have been chosen to be part of a Public Relations team for a campaign trying to raise awareness about the benefits and harms of social media. You get to decide whether you want to design a PSA focusing on the positive aspects of social media or the negative effects it can have if misused.

Why Are We Doing This?:

There are countless advantages and disadvantages of social media. It can be used as a tool of social advocacy and gaining useful information, but can also have a poor impact on mental health. We want you to apply this information to create a well-thought out PSA about the use of social media. Each member of the group will be a part of a “commercial” and will act out whatever lines they are assigned in their group for a final presentation. If you decide to work independently,  you will be responsible for all the lines in your presentation and will need to indicate when a new speaker would be speaking.

Steps:

1. After deciding whether or not you will focus on the harms or the benefits of social media, try to write out a script for your PSA commercial. 
   1. Are you focusing on the disadvantages or advantages of social media? 
   2. How will you get your point across?
   3.  Do you want the commercial to be informative, entertaining, persuasive, or a little bit of each? 
   4. How will you incorporate the three modes of persuasion (ethos, pathos, logos) in your commercial? What emotion do you want the audience to feel? 
2. Think through the possible objections about your PSA that someone could have and how you would answer them. Are you focusing too much on entertainment and taking away from the larger picture? Are you focusing so much on facts that you fail to grasp the audience’s attention?
3. Share with the group and see if you can convince them that your PSA conveys the message you are trying to spread effectively.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• The commercial should be a 2-3 minute presentation
• Make sure every member of your group has lines to contribute. 
• If you are working alone: 
  • Be sure to indicate clearly when a different speaker is supposed to be speaking