We’re slowly crawling towards the 'season to be merry', and in the spirit of positivity we’re going to take a look at 5 ways in which social media have created opportunities for our world (and us) to be better!
- Fundraising
Thanks social media’s enormous ‘area of effect’, these platforms have proven to be of great help in fundraising money for good causes. A prime example — the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The ALS Association, which fights amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gherig’s disease), started up a campaign in 2014 that quickly proved to be a success and ‘went viral’. Unless you lived under a rock, you’ll remember the thousands of videos of people (including many celebrities) chucking a bucket of ice water on themselves. The combination of watching a funny video, pranking your friends and doing it all to support a good cause proved to be a golden one, and would never have had the effect it did if not for social media.
- Political Change
Motivating people to donate money is one thing, but social media’s effects have gone far beyond that. Entire uprisings have been orchestrated and fuelled on social media, effecting political change that has shaped societies. The Arab Spring, for example, has been a revolution made possible to a large extent by social media offering people the ability to effectively organise protests, bring to light injustices and inform people both at home and abroad. Some nations in the Middle East even proceeded to limit access to social media, and these efforts go to highlight even further the great power of social media in bringing about social and political change.
- Little specks of happiness
As we have seen, the world can be a troubled place. Thankfully, social media have also proven to be a true ‘accumulation station’ of cuteness and happiness! Acquaint yourself with the inspirational stories of people all the way on the other side of the world or watch endless compilations of baby doggos! Or, if you’re into music, be awe-struck with someone's amazing talent. Go out and explore — there’s lots out there to make your day just a little brighter!
