Never in the life of man has man had the ability to communicate so widely and quickly. When the earthquake struck New Zealand recently, we instantly became aware of it and how bad it was. The moment by moment information coming from the Christchurch area as well as the other areas that were effected was overwhelming. When phone lines in that area were becoming overwhelmed, the authorities encouraged as many people as possible to communicate through social media. What a great use for social media.
In Egypt, social media was able to effect change by massing people around a cause. They tweeted and used Facebook to get their message to the world. When trouble was happening, the world learned about it despite the efforts of the Egyptian government to stop them.
This type of information is painfully coming out of Libya right now. Images and messages are revealing the cruel nature of the regime. Stories are coming forth about government forces using weapons on their own people. They are crying out for help.
Social media is making it easier for those afflicted to cry out for help. But is anyone listening? Is anyone doing something to stop the slaughter? When I saw Dr. Jack King’s tweets on Twitter, I retweeted them to make sure that others saw what was happening. I then searched for my local government official to see if I could find their Twitter contact info. I managed to find it and sent them a tweet with my concerns. But were they listening? In the age where we can communicate at the speed of light, was anyone home?
Social media can be a powerful tool to effect change. But we have to be listening, and then willing to act. When someone cries out, are we willing to help? These are just some thoughts. It really bothers me that the Lybian government would cut down its own people. At the end of the day, I hope it can be said that social media was a force for good; and that someone was listening, and willing to act.
