Social Media vs. Hurricane Harvey
The story of how social media came to the aid of a city that needed it more than ever
Almost a week ago now, I was presented with the title ‘Social Media is for Idiots’ and was told to go off and write a piece around it. I’d be lying if I said I had come up with thousands of ideas. I had a few ideas; I could look at Donald Trump’s use of twitter or even Logan Paul’s vile suicide taunting YouTube video. Both of those topics really would link social media and stupidity together. However, as an avid social media user myself, I don’t agree with the idea that social media is for idiots.
So, like any good student, rather than focus on the piece, I decided to spend my time procrastinating across various social media sites. On this one occasion however, procrastination was very, very helpful. As I flicked through YouTube, I came across highlights from the NFL Honours (or should that be honors) show. It was when watching this video that I remembered why I love social media. This video took me back 5 months…
In late August of last year, Hurricane Harvey swept the Eastern and Southern states of the U.S. The most damaging tropical cyclone since Hurricane Katrina, the category 4 storm caused significant damage to the city of Houston. Although I was sat some 7782 km away in the slightly, only ever-so slightly, drier climate that is the South of England, the images captured on the news were truly astonishing. When a nation of America’s stature can be damaged by such a storm, the severity really begins to sink in.
But what does any of this have to do with the NFL video I came across the other day? Well, the video in question saw Houston Texans’ (an American football team) player J.J. Watt win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. Watt was nominated for his role in the recovery efforts in his adopted city. Watt was on the road with his side when the hurricane hit, but one post on social media led to him not only being one step closer to every individual effected by the storm, but brought the whole world that little bit closer to every individual effected as well.
For those of you who are unaware of this story, Watt posted a video on twitter two days after the hurricane hit the city of Houston, asking his 3.9 million followers to do what they can in donating towards a relief fund he had just set up. Watt originally set out to raise $200,000. That figure was smashed in a matter of hours. As we sit here today, Watt has raised over $37 million from a single tweet asking for people to give what they can to those in need. Not bad for a ‘stupid’ social media user. The donations themselves were being made by ‘stupid’ social media users in North America, Asia, Europe and everywhere in between.
One tweet. One video. $37 million to help rebuild lives.
If you haven’t already seen this video below, I suggest you take 10 minutes out of your day and do so. Appreciate how the humble J.J. Watt and social media helped the city of Houston. His speech at the end of the video really highlights the importance of togetherness, now more than ever before.
This video got me thinking about just how important social media can be during disasters. Most of us are familiar with the ability to mark ourselves as ‘safe’ when near the site of a disaster. At a time of worry and panic, one click of a button allows those closest to us to know we’re away from danger. But this below, this is something completely new. Something incredible.
In a time of need, a Houston resident sent out a tweet when she felt all help had been lost.
Less than two hours after the first tweet, Maritza tweeted again:
Over 15,000 people retweeted the original tweet, doing their bit to help out a lady they are nowhere near, have never met and are likely to never meet. Twitter was being used as an alternate emergency service.
When phone lines are down, when power is out, that GPRS mobile data signal you normally curse at, could be the difference between life and death.
I totally understand why people may feel that social media is for idiots. Sure, social media can be a pain. Comments sections on YouTube videos, severely right-wing tweets or severely left-wing Facebook posts may annoy you, they may even get you questioning the existence of humanity itself. But, with instances like Hurricane Harvey, social media can only be a good thing.
Social media is a gift that brings all walks of humanity together, during even the hardest of times. Even as great clouds covered the city of Houston, social media provided a glimmer of hope; a silver lining on even the biggest of clouds.
With thanks to Rebecca Stovell
