TED Community » Samantha Kelly

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Sharing information with people in a creative way.

An idea worth spreading

It is important to try everything but perhaps more important to let yourself choose what you love and follow it.

Talk to me about

Where you grew up. Where you've traveled to. When your birthday is.

People don't know that I'm good at

Making puns

My TED Story

I was introduced to TED talks my freshman year of college by my roommate. As most people are- I became addicted. TED was a source of inspiration for me throughout college and I know it will continue to be forever.

I joined the TED family in the summer of 2011.

Comments

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• A reply on Conversation: What do organized communities achieve more efficiently than government? What could they achieve?"

  Oct 7 2011: I definitely agree Adam. Targeting the right people to get support is essential and also a great difficulty especially like you said when you're competing with professional advertising.

• A reply on Conversation: What do organized communities achieve more efficiently than government? What could they achieve?"

  Oct 7 2011: Hi Lope,
  
  I think that because of the all-encompassing nature of the issues that Occupy movement bring up it it will remain very relevant for a long time. I have been down to Wall Street recently to speak with some of those who have been there for over two weeks now and many are either victims of long-term unemployment and have ample time and a lot of passion to stay down there and continue to protest or many are students who worry that their immense debt after college will make them victims of our economic situation now. I think because these two groups are so huge (in sheer size) that the movement will not have trouble growing.
  
  What I think is absolutely essential for them to really instigate change down there is to give voice to the people who are talking about alternative solutions to the current problem and to directly address those who they need help from. By doing this they will shift the perspective of the media from a group of people who are angry about not having jobs and hate big business instead to a group of people who have highlighted some bad policy and have different ideas of how to change it. This will gain them respect and even more support from people who have the ability to internally change economic policy. These game-changers are down there, they just need to really establish themselves as authority figures of the movement and be heard.

• A comment on Conversation: What do organized communities achieve more efficiently than government? What could they achieve?"

  Oct 7 2011: Organized communities separate from the government I think are essential to give voice and attention the needs of a democratic society. Especially through new media and the concept of the “citizen journalist” these groups have the ability to spread, share, and discuss ideas on a global level that often the government would shy away from tackling.
  
  What is interesting now, especially with (as you touched on Adam) these Occupy movements, is how the press and politicians are choosing to discuss them. It is a personal frustration of mine coming from a media background to see the dismissive angle that many government or big-business outlets are choosing to take on them. Knowing news from an industry viewpoint sheds light on the fact that once one media outlet takes a perspective there will be competition for that story and so many others will follow suit with the same angle. That is why it is so essential that organized community groups use their own form of media to get their message out to the public in the way they want it to be heard. Of course it is also important for these organizations to be focused and concise with what they are asking for and whom they are talking to. If they do this and are relentless about their clarity and purpose then larger businesses and the government will be forced to listen.