Malcom Gladwell puts forth a pretty convincing argument for the types of activities social change requires, and why social networking technologies such as Twitter and Facebook won't be enough, in his article, "Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted," for the New Yorker.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all
Gladwell outlines a few case studies throughout history that illustrate great advances for social justice. Common to these cases is severe self-sacrifice, and the reliance on friends and relatives close enough to a cause to truly sympathize with it, and contribute much time and energy to it.
In contrast, he argues that the strength of social networking such as twitter is a reliance on many weak ties. This often can increase visibility of a problem, but may not result in the localized pressure and self sacrifice by individuals to effect change.
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