The Big Issue Magazine - Internet

The Big Issue as a magazine does not rely on the internet or use it to the extent that other magazines do. This is because the purpose of The Big Issue is more about getting out and helping people who are less fortunate and homeless, it is about going out and helping the vendors rather than using the website.  

The Big Issue website is more for advertising and promoting events that are happening which encourage people to get involved in the local community and help others. There is also a Big Issue shop on the website that allow the viewer to but previous editions of the magazine and give money to vendors that work for them.  

The Big Issue also use Twitter as a way of raising awareness of what the magazine does for homeless people. Similar to the website Twitter tells the audience of vendors success stories and forges a personal relationship with people that feel the same as the vendors and are running low on hard times, in addition this allows people to see the vendors as real humans with feelings rather than just the sellers, more than a stereotypical homeless person. Due to the interaction with the audience a personal relationship is established and built on more and more over time. This shows that The Big Issue wan to interact and get involved and encourages the audience to get involved as well which reinforces key ideologies. The tweets advertise their own evens as well as other charity vents that are practical and get people out and helping which also reinforces the ideology of being charitable and helping others. 

The Big Issue also use videos to promote themselves. There are many videos on both the Twitter and the webpage of success stories of the vendors and how there lives have improved due to selling The Big Issue and being apart of something. They are working for a life rather than begging for money which in most cases gets them nowhere.  

The Big Issue does aim to improve and or remove the stereotype of homelessness and see it as a way of helping them and giving them a way of life and a purpose. He slogan for the magazine is "working not begging" as well as "a hand up not a hand out" showing that these homeless people are willing to work and are simply looking for a foot in the door to improve their life.   

Throughout The Big Issue's online presence it is clear that they are trying to draw an audience in as well as put forward their ideological messages from the get go. They want the audience to be encouraged to take part, be charitable, ignore stereotypes that do not apply to then vendors and overall support your own community and help those who need it most.   

The Big Issue's online presence is important because it does rise awareness and does encourage people to get out however it dos not rely on the webpage and Twitter the way other magazines do. The Big Issue isn't there to only exist online it has to have the print copy as it is all about the homeless working and helping themselves get a better life.