The Facebook Timeline's anti-drug campaign
The Facebook Timeline cover feature has been used in a striking social media campaign against drug use.
Facebook has enjoyed its fair share of controversery over the last few months. Complaints piled up over the new development becoming a stalker's playground, guides have appeared showing users how to wipe their history, and user privacy has become a hot topic for discussion.
In a new development, some enterprising users have tinkered with the Timeline layout to spread campaign messages.
(Source: ZDNet)
The agency McCann Digital Israel is responsible for the campaign, ran by the Israel Anti-Drug Authority.
The Facebook profile's shortcut is 'Antidrugstimeline' -- which goes against Facebook regulations concerning brands and fake user profiles. However, you have to admit it gets the message across. The profile includes comparative photos of the user 'Adam Barak' on a year's journey through drug use.
Various images show the 'timeline' of Adam losing his relationship, home and job through substance use, displaying eye-opening contrasts between his physical appearance and environment throughout.
There is no certainty that Adam's profile will not eventually be removed by Facebook for breaking its terms of service. However, with the new cover feature possibilities, will the Generation Y become exposed to this on a frequent basis?
It is a lot of space that online users can develop for their own use. Interesting Facebook covers have gone viral across online networks, revealing everything from marketing to promoting their personality. It's created a niche market for businesses to offer customised covers, and there is no reason to suggest users won't take this idea and run with it.
Facebook's functionality of uploading photos within a timeline setting creates a 'profile space' that cannot be found online without effort and individual programming knowledge. It is a free and easy method to use the software in order to create campaigns to get your message across.
The Facebook cover 'header' area is where individual users are able to promote themselves -- and can include businesses they are involved in. For example, over the festive period, I saw many freelancers promoting Christmas deals across their user profiles.
It's only a step further for campaigns, businesses or charities to create a profile to take advantage of something potentially seen by thousands of users, on a regular basis.
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