I have a sort of shameless plug to post here, but really it's about the question of whether or not social media can actually make a difference. I sort of argued this point with my post about internet trolling, but it seems like it just continues to be relevant.
So, here's the deal. One of my friends is going to be a camp counselor this summer with me at Camp Kesem. For those of you that don't know what this is, it's a week long program for children ages 6-16 who have a family member with cancer. I was a counselor last year, and it was one of the greatest and most eye-opening experiences of my life. We make the camp free for the kids because they have to deal with so much at home, so it's up to the counselors to raise $500--which is the cost to send one child to camp. (PS here comes the plug) If this sounds like a cause you'd like to donate to, here is the link to my page:
https://campkesem.givebig.org/c/CK13/a/campkesem-nc-duke-unc-chapel/p/adquattlebaum
Last year, I didn't make any effort over social media to raise funds; I just e-mailed family and friends, and was able to raise enough money that way. This year, however, my friend took a different route and decided to post her appeal for donations on Facebook.
The other day, she came up to me and said that she got at least 50 likes on her Kesem fundraising status, and yet no donations. It made me think of those satirical pictures that show little kids starving and a bunch of people's thumbs ups surrounding them, as if "liking" things on Facebook actually makes a difference. Now, this isn't meant to guilt anyone into donating to my page, I just wanted to bring up the issue. It seems to me that Facebook sets up more of a passive relationship than an active one. It becomes very easy to be detached from a situation when you can scroll down a little more and that piece of information is out of your mind just like that. It's easier to simply "like" a cause than invest your time or money in it. Just some food for thought.
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