Taking Action on Social Media

If you’ve been on social media the last few months, you know the tragedy that has hit California and Australia. If not, just keep reading because I’m about to tell you all about it. The state of California was a victim of wildfires, but my blog is going to focus on the Australian bushfires. Australia is no stranger to fires, but this gruesome bushfire season wasn’t like any others. Why am I relating this to social media you ask? Because the power of the internet allowed an enormous amount of money be raised for the people affected. When the natural disaster hit, people were ready to help. Social media platforms created an easy access to help from all over the world.

An Australian comedian and actor, Celeste Barber, raised more than $32 million, through Facebook, to support fire stations fighting against the horrific bushfires. During the time, I know that every other Instagram story was a repost of disturbing pictures and story links to this very hot topic. Many famous Australian social media influencers were pledging to donate money based on how many shares the post received. For example, professional choreographer and dancer, Parris Goebel, shared devastating pictures on Instagram along with her willingness to donate $20 for every post shared. The amount that was donated wasn’t publicly disclosed, but the post has 650,000 likes from her 1.3 million followers. Other famous stars like Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Pink donated a substantial amount of money to the country of Australia.

After seeing these social posts firsthand, I am still in awe of how powerful these platforms can truly be. There are many negative things and people online, but when tragedy hits, everyone comes together to help. The recovery of the disaster will be a long journey, but with the millions of dollars raised from thousands of donors and recent heavy rainfalls, the process will be easier to bare. As the communities throughout Australia mourn over the deaths of 29 people, millions of animals and thousands of homes destroyed, the impact through social media provides hope for the future.