Can Social Media Save Us?

When considering social networking sites, increased safety probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, most people are likely to worry about the privacy issues that often go along with social media use. However, Facebook is looking to turn its website into a safety resource with their updated “Safety Check” tool.

For the past few years this feature has allowed Facebook users to update their friends on their safety status after disasters and crises in their area. With its new “Community Help” option, people will now be able to connect with others to find and offer assistance after such events. People looking for food, shelter, or transportation will be able to do so by simply logging into the site. Facebook is also taking some additional precautions to ensure that these connections are safe. The feature will highlight if other users have mutual friends with you. It also won’t provide access to users whose accounts were created within hours of a disaster, who may have negative intentions.

While Facebook and various other social networking sites have their drawbacks when it comes to safety, they have the ability to provide features that can benefit, and potentially even save, their users. It won’t be long before other social networking sites catch on and begin offering similar services to those of Facebook. The “Safety Check” and “Community Help” tools could really change the way people view and utilize social media.