Social Media: More than marketing

January 27th, 2010 by JenniferCohen | No Comments

Imagine being very sick and being confined to a hospital bed. Imagine those moments where you have the opportunity to reflect on life and can choose what you want to see and do from the hospital, which will either cheer you up, or bring you down. Imagine that while you are there, you have the opportunity to see and talk to whoever you want because technology has made this possible.

Yes, the power of technology and social media is not just for fun and marketing, but also for social good and doing something as simple as provoking a smile from someone who might not be able to smile again.

To put this into perspective, let’s look at two specific cases where social media made a positive personal impact and served a bigger cause than we could do on our own…

A sick man lay in a hospital bed and he is only able to type. Most of his family is deceased and far away, and a few family members are by his side. At times when he sought comfort from those not in the room, the man posted messages on his Facebook page and Twitter. The positive comments encouraged him to be in good spirits. When his hope dropped low, he read the positive thoughts and felt empowered enough to keep trudging forward. He was able to view photos on Flickr of his nieces and nephews, which is family from afar uploaded. The man never gave up and thanks to his “social community” and the power of photosharing, he was able to keep an upbeat attitude during the most trying time of his life. The man survived.

Another case…

An elderly woman lay in a hospital bed facing her last few days. Although too weak to lift her arms and too tired to talk, she could still smile and whisper very softly. Her great granddaughter was too young to visit or understand what was going on, but not too young to make a YouTube video. In five minutes, the three year-old great granddaughter and her father created a YouTube video wishing her great grandmother well and letting her know she loved her great grandmother will all her heart. The family members sitting bedside received the video via email and a Facebook post and shared it with the elderly woman so she could see the three year-old sending her wishes. The elderly woman smiled and a tear fell from her face. She whispered “she is so cute.” It could have been her last smile, but definitely a smile that meant the world to her family who watched her eyes light up for a split second.

Without the “social” aspect and user-generated content of the Web, these moments would not have been possible. Let’s keep using social media for good…because that is what life is all about