Social Media and Natural Disasters
The earthquake that hit Haiti is a tragedy, even more horrible in such a deprived country that has not the resources to cope with it. Since 9/11 we are increasingly in what Jeff Pulver calls the state of now, which means we do not become aware of an incident, we go through it live. What really strikes me about the disaster in Haiti is that we heard of it very quickly, thanks to a coverage that has relied heavily on social media or technology tools. Besides, the same means are used by NGOs to generate a humanitarian response.
Regarding the coverage of this tragedy, CNN has used primarily social media as it was unable to get information through other sources. Social media have not only speeded up the spread of the information, but as the Guardian underlined it, this is with the voice of the people from Haiti: these are their tweets, pictures, status updates, blog posts, etc. In a way, as they share with us the atrocity of what has happened to them, this probably increases our level of empathy which makes us more eager to do something, to get organized to help this people. And social media and technology tools help us to accelerate this process.
Not only people have spontaneously created groups on Facebook to talk about it and direct users willing to donate to charities going there, but charities themselves have been very prompt to set up a response online: Google Haiti and you will see the three ads there are for charities; you can use your phone to send donation to Yele Haiti (a charity sponsored by Haiti-born singer Wyclef Jean) or the American Red Cross (that has raised more than 3 million dollars); social media points of presence (such as Facebook fan pages and Twitter) have been used to inform people about the disaster and how to donate; and obviously websites have been updated with special sections on the catastrophe.
The extent of the response is incredible and truly shows how technology and above all social media can help people to generate a quick response. In case you are wondering what to do, here is a list of charities you can make a donation to.
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