How not to use social media in a time of crisis
Posted: January 18th, 2010 | Author: Mallory | Filed under: Ethics, social media| 6 Comments »There is no doubt about the amount of good that has been done in the aftermath of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti as a result of social media. Text campaigns to raise funds, alerting rescuers to buried survivors and allowing Haitians to search for missing loved ones only scratches the surface. The outpouring of support and eagerness to help is reminiscent of the weeks following the 9/11 attacks.
But this is bigger.
With a death toll that may soon hit the hundreds of thousands in a place that was already ravaged by poverty and violence to begin with, nobody knows yet how large the scale of this disaster will reach.
In light of these events it would seem obvious that this wouldn’t be an appropriate opportunity to try and bait a mass of new Twitter followers, but apparently that isn’t obvious to everyone. Take Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth for example:
Sorry Donte. I don’t believe your intentions were bad. In fact, I’m a huge cheerleader for people who have been graced with high-paying careers who make a point to give to those in need in times of crisis. I just want to give you some outside perspective here.
We all know NFL athletes make the big bucks. Big enough bucks to be able to negotiate a settlement out of court last year after accidentally killing a pedestrian in Miami Beach. You clearly don’t need Twitter followers to be able to write a check. I understand that this may have been an oversight in your efforts to raise funds, but the nature of this emergency makes your quest for followers seem petty. The doctors in Haiti who need the supplies to help the dying could care less about your follower count, but they could certainly use the monetary donations to buy what they need to save more lives. Why waste time tied up in Twitter?
Yes, use Twitter to ask your followers to donate if they can. Yes, use Twitter to organize relief efforts. But please, don’t play follower games during tragedies. Things like that need to be left out of the equation altogether.