#ChangeOneThing

If you’ve got Facebook, you’ve probably noticed the new craze currently buzzing from wall to wall. Three clues: it (usually) involves alcohol, (nearly always) includes nudity and (occasionally – and worryingly -) involves excrement. No, I’m not talking about photos from the last post-rugby night out, but neck nominations. This craze, started in Australia, involves someone downing, or necking, some alcoholic concoction that may or may not include the above ingredients. The said individual then nominates two other people and they have 24 hours to fulfill the brief; the penalty of failure or negligence to comply, one presumes, being social media suicide. With each new nomination, the pressure to out do your predecessor increases and as the craze has progressed some of the nominations have reached unbelievable heights – until now.

Recognising the power of the social media viral craze was Brent Lindeque from South Africa. After receiving a nomination, rather than thinking of new ways to out-drink his nominator, he decided to use the opportunity to highlight issues in his hometown, namely poverty and hunger. Making a YouTube video, Lindeque filmed himself driving through the streets of Johannesburg. He stops at traffic lights, hails a man on the street and hands him a sandwich, a chocolate bar and a coke. After nominating two friends, the caption follows – ‘Change one thing, change everything’. This small gesture has spoken volumes and at the time of writing had received 176,273  unique views on YouTube and has since gone viral itself across social media. #ChangeOneThing now has it’s own Twitter account @ChangeOneSA and Lindeque has found himself the champion of a movement very different from the one it originated from.

Social media is a powerful tool. Let’s use it for the better and #ChangeOneThing