Imagine a world where people use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus for more than idle banter about the latest NBA drama or Sunday’s episode of the Housewives of Atlanta. Increasingly, people are doing just that; using the land of social media as a forum to push a political candidate or cause they believe in.

That phenomenon led the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies to gather leading social media and political experts at Howard University this week for a panel entitled “What’s Your Cause? Social Media Use in the 2012 Election.”

In many ways African-Americans are a sleeping giant in the social media landscape.

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This is only the first in a series of events the Joint Center will use to highlight the increasing role of social media in civic engagement. Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee, vice president and director of the Joint Center Media and Technology Institute said, “We want to energize African-Americans and other people of color, especially young voters and potential voters who have demonstrated that they are comfortable with the technology and can lead the way to broader adoption.”

Read more at BET.