Standard Bank has set up a social experiment that will pay off in a big way… for every tweet their hashtag gets, a stationery set is 3D printed for school kids in need!
South Africans are tweeting for good. Standard Bank has set up an initiative that is literally fueled by social media activity. They developed a system that picks up on activity on Twitter and every time someone uses their hashtag, something good happens…
Over the weekend the tested out the “Tweet Machine”, a system that 3D prints and laser cuts school stationery for kids in need. It is a world first!
Every time the #GoodFollowsGood hashtag was detected, a machine laser cut a math set and 3D-printed a space case. The math sets are going to Grade 6 learners in the bank’s Tutuwa-BRIDGE School Programme.
The Tweet Machine was set up at Melrose Arch and worked non-stop printing and cutting maths sets. The machine will run from August to October and print over 1000 sets. The next pop-up of the Tweet Machine will be at the Singularity U Summit (15-18 October).
“Everything we do in life sets in motion a chain of events. Our actions today have a ripple effect that influences our individual and collective futures. This is why we at Standard Bank choose to use our business decisions to promote positive change on our continent, and indeed the world. To demonstrate the impact of our philosophy we are launching our Tweet Machine campaign to show that positive actions and words can be transformed into tangible outcomes that have a lasting impact on people’s lives.”
“The technology powering the Tweet Machine is a customised Python programming script on a master computer to scrape Twitter and other social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for posts using the #GoodFollowsGood hashtag. The social media posts will be fed to a special micro-controller unit called a Raspberry Pi, which will send the appropriate print commands to the 3D printers and laser cutters housed inside the Standard Bank Tweet Machine.”
The good won’t end once everyone stops tweeting, two of the 3D printers are being donated to an all-female black cooperative made up of dependents of South African military veterans.
“The cooperate will use the 3D printers to establish an innovation and education centre called InfoTech Café, which will provide IT services to the Sedibeng community. The InfoTech Café will leverage the 3D printers to enable young entrepreneurs and engineers to prototype design concepts for the purpose of making proposals to potential investors.”
“In addition, the centre will provide assistance to learners with school projects; printing solutions for small business and community events; and small business services including Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission (CIPC) registrations, business planning, marketing collateral design, as well as Information Technology (IT) training.”
This is amazing news and an incredible resource that will help boost the futures of many people. Great job Standard Bank!
Tweet for good. Share a positive Tweet using #GoodFollowsGood to get stationery printed for school children. pic.twitter.com/AssGFs3WqX
— Standard Bank Group (@SBGroup) August 30, 2018
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