Only moments after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, social networks began sharing information, giving eye-witness accounts and providing instant appeals for help. Whilst Haitian-born Wyclef Jean used his Twitter account to ask for aid, Haiti resident and TV presenter Carel Pedre used both his Facebook and Twitter pages to update the world on the event.
Wyclef Jean, hailing from the Fugees fame, has used much of his wealth in the past to aid his native country. Setting up Yele Haiti, an organisation to improve the condition of living on the Caribbean island, he has never forgotten his roots and continues to provide support for those at home. Calling on his 1.3 million Twitter followers, Jean revealed that he was due to travel back home immediately and asked followers to visit his charity to donate.
Meanwhile Carel Pedre, who himself is in Haiti, quickly began to gather eye-witness reports of the disaster, uploading images and news to Twitter. Whilst many Tweets were made in an effort to contact individual’s families and loved ones abroad, his latest said “Facebook Get Rid Of My 5K Friends Limit Now! I Have more than 2,000 Requests From Haitians All Over The World Who Want To Know What’s Going on”.
The latest use of the social networking sites has highlighted just how important they are in the modern world to raise cash and global awareness. Charities have been just one of the organisations using the media to contact large amounts of people with Oxfam’s Sarah Brown saying “Social networking sites such as Twitter allow us to get the news out there as fast as possible, and the response in terms of re-tweeting from our 8,000 followers has been amazing.”
