Twitter to the Rescue in Japan
Minutes after the tsunami occurred in Japan, Twitter overflowed with millions of tweets about the devastating disaster. #Japan became a trending topic within the first hour. As more worldwide events occur, whether it is a natural disaster like in Japan or the problems over in Egypt, it proves that Twitter has become a valuable and influential news source.
My parents always used to tell me to read the newspaper more often. Now, I can sign on to Twitter and read the big stories simply by following ABC News or CNN. I am not saying that Twitter should take the place of all or any news source but it sure is one of the fastest ways to reach a large population. The Red Cross has over 310,000 followers. On Friday, they tweeted “Txt REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to #Japan & Pacific #tsunami relief.” Bing asked its followers to retweet their post about helping the Japan victims and they ended up donating $100,000 to the cause as well. In the midst of extreme chaos, family members in Japan are using Twitter to find their loved ones. It is amazing to see the world use a simple social tool to help those in need. I can’t help but wonder how Twitter could have been used if it was around on September 11!
Post by Laurel Slutsky
