The earthquake in Haiti may go down as the first international disaster to truly display the power of social media.
In the wake of a massive disaster, people usually want to know two things: 1) What happened? and 2) How can I help? Social media provides a platform to answer both of these questions quickly and easily.
No longer do we have to wait for updates from traditional news outlets, rather, through social media sites, citizens are journalists. Those directly impacted by the earthquake in Haiti were able to search for information and help through social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Flickr and YouTube. Thousands of photos taken directly from the devastation in Haiti were broadcast on social media sites 24 hours a day for several days. According to a Jan. 20 study by Pew Research, 13 percent of Americans – including 24 percent of those younger than 30 – say they have received or shared information about the Haiti earthquake through Twitter, Facebook or another social networking site.
As the lines between traditional and new media are beginning to merge, we see mainstream news organizations utilizing social networking for news and information. Nick Wrenn of CNN International Digital Services said, “We immediately moved someone supervising social media and our iReports to the Haiti desk.”
