There’s been a lot of talk lately about the lack of civility and decency in today’s culture, especially on social media. It seems that the ability to make a real-time knee jerk reaction to a comment from a stranger on Twitter or Facebook brings out the worst in some people. I read recently that the Pew Research Center reports that the majority of Americans have been targeted, or have witnessed others being targeted, with online incivility so much so that most social media users think this online behavior is normal. That’s just depressing. It’s easy to lose hope in humanity when confronted with arguments, name calling and divisiveness every day.
This is especially difficult for nonprofit marketing professionals using social media to engage an online community in acts of social good. Every post must walk a fine line between illustrating a social need that is most likely caused by something that is not so positive in our world and asking for action to positively address that need. We try to tug at heart strings by asking for help in offering solutions to social problems such as hunger, poverty, violence, sickness, and more. Many of these issues have become political and cultural hot buttons. Our social media channels promote what nonprofits do every day; turn hopelessness into hope, scarcity into abundance, failure into fulfillment. But sometimes it’s difficult to do that when our posts trigger debates and arguments as to why or how we address these hot button issues. The message of doing social good is lost.
But once in a while, a post engages the good in us and my hope in humanity is restored. That happened this week. My organization posted a story on our Facebook page about a resident in one of our healthcare facilities who turned 104 this month. All she wanted for her birthday was a hamburger, fries and a Frosty from Wendy’s and a chocolate cake from the local bakery. The staff made sure her wishes were granted and took photos. Her smile was as bright as the sun. The post was liked, shared and commented on by hundreds of people from all over the world. Even Wendy’s commented on the post with a birthday message for the resident. A local news station also picked up the story and showed the Facebook page on their morning show. For just a minute, we all forgot our differences and came together to wish a fellow human being a very happy birthday. It was beautiful. Hope and love can conquer all, if we let it. My hope is that we can do this more often, maybe every day.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-hope-pamela-georgiana-mba/
