With the exception of a handful of hard-core holdouts - you know, the set-in-her-ways mama, the “when pigs fly” grandfather, the technologically challenged (and likes it that way, thank you very much) friend - everyone I know (even my mother) seems to be texting, tweeting, instant messaging, blogging, You Tubing, Facebooking, My Space-ing or communicating through some other form of social media.
Congratulations. We’re not just trendy; we’re making a difference in hundreds of thousands - possibly millions - of lives. By now, we’ve all seen or heard the news stories heralding the millions of dollars that the Red Cross and other relief organizations raised to help the ravaged people of the island nation of Haiti after its Biblical-proportion earthquake tragedy 12 days into the New Year, and how we could donate or volunteer.
Other than traditional media, (television, radio and print), most of us around the world relied on coverage of the quake from social media sources.
Twitter posts (“mini-blogs”) in particular were the leading source of discussion about the quake, followed by online videos, blogs and other online boards and forums. How do I know? I work for the Nielsen Company, yes, the TV Ratings company. Yes, we tell you who watches what on TV, but we do so much more than that. As the world's leading marketing research company, located in more than 100 countries, Nielsen also monitors, measures and analyzes the latest trends and all of your consumer habits (with your permission of course); including more than 90 percent of global Internet activity. In this horrific instance, results of all the Nielsen analysis proves that people around the world truly stepped up to the plate in an effort to ease the suffering to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
In fact, according to Nielsen, the Red Cross’ Twitter account, which on average, had been adding roughly 50-100 followers a day before the quake, gained more than 10,000 followers in the weeks following the earthquake. By the end of January, generous texters had donated more than $8 million in the Red Cross’ 90999 text campaign.
After appealing for help through Twitter, Haitian-born performer Wyclef Jean raised $1 million for earthquake victims through his Yele Haiti foundation. He first reached out to his 1.3 million Twitter followers, who then passed on his appeal with a “spread the word” message to their friends and followers.
All totaled, more than 136 million people around the world responded via text to at least one online campaign during the immediate weeks following the disaster.
What’s the value in knowing this information?
Well, almost 91% of African Americans who responded to a survey say they subscribe to a cell phone service. So for those of us who text and tweet, we should take another look at our sleek Apple iPhone, our sexy Google Android or that slim Blackberry Curve we carry everywhere. At 91 percent strong we can certainly use our tech toys for a whole lot more than making small-talk calls with our girlfriends or sending text reminders to the hubby to pick up milk on the way home. They can be a real force for good that allow us to reach beyond our immediate circles and touch lives a world away.
I know some people believe we’ve all become “addicted” to social media and to these new ways of communicating. And maybe that's true. But, in the case of Haiti, we witnessed just how powerful these instruments are. If there is a silver lining in every cloud, the glimmer we received from Haiti is that social media can save lives. We can feel more connected. We truly can be our brothers’ keepers.
Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of public affairs for The Neilsen Company.
Congratulations. We’re not just trendy; we’re making a difference in hundreds of thousands - possibly millions - of lives. By now, we’ve all seen or heard the news stories heralding the millions of dollars that the Red Cross and other relief organizations raised to help the ravaged people of the island nation of Haiti after its Biblical-proportion earthquake tragedy 12 days into the New Year, and how we could donate or volunteer.
Other than traditional media, (television, radio and print), most of us around the world relied on coverage of the quake from social media sources.
Twitter posts (“mini-blogs”) in particular were the leading source of discussion about the quake, followed by online videos, blogs and other online boards and forums. How do I know? I work for the Nielsen Company, yes, the TV Ratings company. Yes, we tell you who watches what on TV, but we do so much more than that. As the world's leading marketing research company, located in more than 100 countries, Nielsen also monitors, measures and analyzes the latest trends and all of your consumer habits (with your permission of course); including more than 90 percent of global Internet activity. In this horrific instance, results of all the Nielsen analysis proves that people around the world truly stepped up to the plate in an effort to ease the suffering to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
In fact, according to Nielsen, the Red Cross’ Twitter account, which on average, had been adding roughly 50-100 followers a day before the quake, gained more than 10,000 followers in the weeks following the earthquake. By the end of January, generous texters had donated more than $8 million in the Red Cross’ 90999 text campaign.
After appealing for help through Twitter, Haitian-born performer Wyclef Jean raised $1 million for earthquake victims through his Yele Haiti foundation. He first reached out to his 1.3 million Twitter followers, who then passed on his appeal with a “spread the word” message to their friends and followers.
All totaled, more than 136 million people around the world responded via text to at least one online campaign during the immediate weeks following the disaster.
What’s the value in knowing this information?
Well, almost 91% of African Americans who responded to a survey say they subscribe to a cell phone service. So for those of us who text and tweet, we should take another look at our sleek Apple iPhone, our sexy Google Android or that slim Blackberry Curve we carry everywhere. At 91 percent strong we can certainly use our tech toys for a whole lot more than making small-talk calls with our girlfriends or sending text reminders to the hubby to pick up milk on the way home. They can be a real force for good that allow us to reach beyond our immediate circles and touch lives a world away.
I know some people believe we’ve all become “addicted” to social media and to these new ways of communicating. And maybe that's true. But, in the case of Haiti, we witnessed just how powerful these instruments are. If there is a silver lining in every cloud, the glimmer we received from Haiti is that social media can save lives. We can feel more connected. We truly can be our brothers’ keepers.
Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of public affairs for The Neilsen Company.
