We’ve all seen the stories about the “types of people on Facebook“. Most of the personalities described paint Facebook users in a very unflattering light. However one personality type is almost always left out – the ones that stand up for social justice.
Yes, Facebook and Twitter are full of people who want to help, initiate change – not just rant about their cold five dollar latte. Remember as social media platforms mature so do the people who use them.

Recently more posts on Facebook and Twitter have been related to the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. I for one am glad to see people posting information on how to donate to such a worthy cause.
Links to donation sites like the Red Cross text program are just one way that social media has supported social causes.

I believe that Social Media has played a key part in organizations raising such large amounts of money in a relatively short amount of time. Sure a telethon is most likely in the works but how can you get more than a handful of celebrities to talk about a cause and get the word out to millions in a short amount of time. Social Media platforms and their users have more to say and share than the latest celeb gossip and shameless self-promotions. We are talking about a real value in these platforms that have often been labeled as a channel for gossip and entertainment.

What does this mean for the future of Social Media? For one it symbolizes a pulse of the people; that can be measured via trend data in real time. Where else can you get a feel for the masses without robocalls? Just look at Twitter trending topics. As I am writing this “Jersey Shore” is the number one trending topic. Is it any coincidence that the finale episode is airing tonight? Granted I would rather take an ice pick to my eye than watch more than an hour of this show but it is what the masses are tweeting about at the moment, heck they may even be thinking about that same ice pick. So although that topic is more about watching a train wreck when Haiti started its ordeal Haitian relief was the top trend. See there is hope for humanity- even if you do like watching “Jersey Shore.”

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