If the idea of celebrities using their Twitter accounts to "help" the people of a nation in ruins strikes you as silly, then perhaps you should update your Facebook status. In today’s world, Twitter is the most convenient and effective means for celebrities to reach out to potentially thousands – or even millions – of fans and followers who at some point or another thought it would be a good idea to become a follower or a "friend" of a celebrity through Twitter or Facebook or some other social networking site.
As it stands, the effectiveness of communication through such platforms is highly suspect at best. How many people didn’t know about the situation in Haiti prior to getting a tweet from Lindsay Lohan that they should help? And of the people who did already know about the tragedy, how many were moved to action solely based upon the fact that Lohan suggested that they do something? It’s all pretty ridiculous and surreal if you step back to consider it.
But that’s the world that we’re living in at the moment. Every time there is a tragedy on a scale that requires the media to seek the reaction of the already famous, then things like this become news. Haiti was just virtually destroyed by a once-in-a-lifetime earthquake and there will be news pieces detailing how many times Paris Hilton tweeted about the event or how groups are organizing via Facebook to support the victims. These networks are effective for mobilizing on-the-ground movements and even getting organized on a larger scale. But that’s for groups like the Red Cross to coordinate. I’m not sure how Adam Lambert’s Facebook friends are going to help the situation in Haiti.
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As it stands, the effectiveness of communication through such platforms is highly suspect at best. How many people didn’t know about the situation in Haiti prior to getting a tweet from Lindsay Lohan that they should help? And of the people who did already know about the tragedy, how many were moved to action solely based upon the fact that Lohan suggested that they do something? It’s all pretty ridiculous and surreal if you step back to consider it.
But that’s the world that we’re living in at the moment. Every time there is a tragedy on a scale that requires the media to seek the reaction of the already famous, then things like this become news. Haiti was just virtually destroyed by a once-in-a-lifetime earthquake and there will be news pieces detailing how many times Paris Hilton tweeted about the event or how groups are organizing via Facebook to support the victims. These networks are effective for mobilizing on-the-ground movements and even getting organized on a larger scale. But that’s for groups like the Red Cross to coordinate. I’m not sure how Adam Lambert’s Facebook friends are going to help the situation in Haiti.
EQUIPPED TO SURVIVE (tm) - Earthquake & Disaster Preparedness Kits
