Social Media Causes Good Things to Happen

Social Media Causes Good Things to Happen
By: Brett Moneta
I’ve heard more than one person say that social media is, at best, a diversion. At worst, they say it’s flat out a waste of time. They point to viral videos on YouTube, where people spend hours glued to the screen watching bad comedy and home videos. On much of this, the cynical marketing guy in me completely agrees. I mean, sure, social media can help a few semi- (or in some cases un-) talented people get 15 minutes of fame, but it can’t really do any good, can it? The reality is that charities and other causes rely heavily on word-of-mouth to succeed, and there’s no place more powerful than the Web or social media for that. Likes, shares, posts, comments, and tweets can cause information to spread faster than a “FIRST!” comment on YouTube. Don’t believe me? Just ask the Berry family of Houston, Texas. They were on their way back from a Colorado vacation when their car was hit in a head-on collision. The parents, Josh and Robin, were killed instantly. Their kids, Peter, 9, and Aaron, 8, ended up with serious spinal cord injuries. So, aside from being orphans, they now have devastating injuries and medical bills. So what did they do? They reached out to their community for support: friends, family, and synagogue members. But they also created a Facebook page. It probably made sense to allow people to express their grief or encouragement. And as the bills started mounting, their synagogue started asking for donations. Then, a website was set up. And after media outlets began reporting on the story, the news traveled at viral speed. Or at least that’s how I’m guessing it happened. Maybe it was the story of a respected, happy family meeting with tragedy, or the fact that their children will be without parents, but the story touched so many people that celebrities took on the cause. Kevin McHale and the Houston Rockets held a fundraising campaign. Then, the real celebrities took notice; namely, Justin Beiber, Britney Spears, New Kids on The Block, and others. On Wednesday, July 27th, Beiber requested that people change their Facebook pictures to a specially designed heart icon. He’s also used his Twitter account (you know, the one with over 11 million followers?) to urge his fans to donate to the Berry cause. They even set up a text-to-donate number. The result is that nationwide exposure is being given to a family that sorely needs it. No doubt people will be donating online, via phones, Twitter, the Facebook page, and their website. All because of the power of social media. So you can say that social media is frivolous and that Twitter is a waste of time. You can cite snopes.com on the expanding amount of charity hoaxes and the increasing number of interactive con artists out there. You’d be in the right to do so. Just don’t tell the Berry kids that. I have a feeling they would disagree. The results aren’t in yet, but I’m guessing that a chunk of their medical bills have been paid for, thanks to word-of-mouth and social media.