Rishabh Shanbhag on using social media to make a difference
BY READERS DIGEST
6th Apr 2021 Technology
Rishabh Shanbhag is a genius who successfully broke into Apple's operating system when he was 13. He is now 24 and already working as a consultant at a Big 4 US firm. However, iOS jailbreaking isn’t his only passion.
The campaign aimed to leverage social media's power to help people understand the spirit of giving back. It was also an initiative to encourage philanthropy.
Publications like Economic Times, Forbes, International Business Times, and CBS News have cited him because of his involvement in the #GivingTuesday campaign and his views on technology. He also got featured in the "13 of Today's Best Social Media Teenage Allstars" by Inc. Magazine.
Rishabh's role in #GivingTuesday
In addition to being a tech guru, Rishabh is also someone who loves giving back to society. He is also an expert at social media marketing. #GivingTuesday was more about encouraging philanthropy. The organizers felt that they could achieve this through various mediums, such as community organizations, charities, and social media. Rishabh had a knack for getting his followers to take action and spread the word about helping the needy.
Initially, he started by tweeting about #GivingTuesday. He explained everything about the entire movement, why it was important for people, how participants could help each other, and what they could do together to help this movement grow. #GivingTuesday became a massive movement.
The movement was also acknowledged by former United States President, Barack Obama, praising the efforts taken by individuals to spread the word about this movement. It was a dream-come-true moment for Rishabh.
Leveraging social media
Rishabh has more than 70,000 Twitter followers. He says, "I think social media is one of the most influential platforms that you can use to stay informed, connect with friends, family, and fans, and learn new things about marketing campaigns." When asked about how he used social media to his advantage during #GivingTuesday, Rishabh said, "I would never back away from answering people's queries. It was to create a positive impact by giving back and I tried my best to make the campaign popular with as few followers I had."
He encourages direct feedback on social media from his followers. Rishabh even uses the same idea of social interaction to know what his followers want. "Wouldn't it be better if I can make technological products based on what most of my followers suggest? Since they follow me on social media, it will be easier to market the products because they will act as my promotional channels. Imagine having more than 70,000 promotional streams instead of putting an ad on TV. That is another reason I want to increase my follower base to develop products after keeping their feedback in mind. The same trick worked for the #GivingTuesday campaign."
Rishabh is a passionate IT guy that never backs away from challenges. Whether it's iOS jailbreaking or handling the responsibility of spreading the word of a philanthropic campaign via social media, Rishabh is ready to deliver whenever you ask him to.
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