Dr. Reza Aslan and Jessica Jackley, a husband and wife team, will be giving a lecture entitled “Promise and Perils of Social Media,” Monday night at 7 p.m. in the Russell Union ballroom.

“The lecture will bring different perspectives and world views,” John Banter, leadership coordinator in the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, said.

“While Reza will be pointing out ways that social media has affected the Middle East, Jessica will be able to speak about how social media can benefit people internationally,” Banter said.

Aslan used social media to teach on human rights, specifically in the Middle East while Jackley used social media for philanthropic purposes to raise money for impoverished countries, Jodi Middleton, assistant director of the OSLCE, said.

“I believe they are a young ‘it couple’ who can show students that you can use this tool that you use everyday to help impact the world,” Middleton said.

The OSLCE believes that the husband and wife team will be able to bring both leadership and service to Georgia Southern University.

“Usually we have two speakers a year, one that is more leadership oriented and one that focuses more on civic engagement. With Reza and Jessica, they’re the perfect example of both,” professor and Director of the OSLCE Todd Deal said.

The lecture will show students how they can use social media to make a difference in the world, Middleton said.

“The lecture will be an eye-opener on how to use social media for more substantial reasons,” Middleton said.

The lecture will also show students the power of social media in today’s social media-centric world, Deal said.

“The more significant your tweets or your status updates become, the more it becomes a persona. A lot of people don’t realize how powerful it can be. Reza, for instance, tweets about revolution in the Middle East and things that he’s extremely passionate about,” Deal said.

Thus far, it is clear to Deal what topics will be discussed as “promises” of social media, but he is interested to find out what Aslan and Jackley mean by “perils” of social media.

“I’m intrigued by the ‘perils’ aspect of (the lecture). I hope they address the ethics of social media and how people like Kim Kardashian unknowingly have such an impact on the world because of it,” Deal said.

The OSLCE is interested in the message the speakers will be able to convey to students.

“I’m interested in hearing Reza speak about how social media has affected uprising in the Middle East,” Banter said.

“Because of their different perspectives they will definitely have a unique message for students,” Middleton said.

Students will learn how they can impact the world via social media, according to Banter.

“Students will see how large an impact you can have by using social media to benefit others, and how to put those ideas into practice,” said Banter.

The humbleness of these speakers is also one of their biggest attributes, Deal and Middleton said.

“They still see themselves as primarily educators, so they love to talk to people,” Middleton said.

“My favorite part of this whole lecture is the fact that they made themselves available for a meet and greet the following morning in the William Center multi-purpose room, which is already an intimate setting to begin with, but then adding on the fact that they want to be there to meet the students and talk to them is just amazing,” Deal said.

These semi-unknown speakers are making a huge impact, showing students that you don’t have to be famous to make a difference, Middleton said.

“Just because they don’t have a big name doesn’t mean they aren’t doing big things,” Middleton said.

Alsan and Jackley’s lecture will be held in the Russell Union ballroom on Monday night at 7 p.m. Attendance verification will be given.