The rise of social media platforms has opened too many doors to count. As the realms of social media continue to be discovered, one use has benefited countless people around the globe. Social media users can use their platforms, no matter how big or small, to spread awareness on issues, promote change, and help others with money and support.

News outlets such as CNN and Fox News regularly use Instagram and Twitter to inform people of occurring issues and draw attention to the changes that need to be made. Smaller accounts run by individuals or groups of people focus on educating others on the issues in the world around them.

Celebrities and people with large followings are able to promote change to thousands, even millions, of fans. If everyone who sees a post that shares crucial information shares that post, they will educate their followers, and the ripple effect continues.

Some social media users are very passionate about fighting for social justice and are able to find accounts that they can relate to. For others, they might discover new information and be inspired to advocate for something because of a post they saw while scrolling. Whether it is introducing people to a topic or allowing them to discover things more in depth, the knowledge spread by reliable posts and comments is important to the activism world.

Along with the importance of raising awareness and gaining support, social media also plays an important part in raising money to help different causes. Websites such as GoFundMe allow people to create an online fundraiser that can be shared via a website link. Through social medias like Facebook
and Instagram, this link can be shared with thousands of people, leading to many donations.

An organization known as “Epic Change” used Twitter to reach out to individuals. Their goal was to raise enough funds to build a classroom for underprivileged students in a small community in Tanzania and used their Twitter account to bring attention to new people. They successfully
raised over $11,000 in two days, enough to build the classroom in Tanzania.

Unfortunately, there are people in the world who take advantage of the media and how you can interact with so many people in so little time. There may be posts or information shared that is incorrect, intended to scare people and draw them into the accounts using fake headlines. Additionally, some people may claim to be donating to a certain charitable organization, and later take all of the money for wrongful or personal use.

As with any form of news, when using social media, it is crucial that you think about what you’re reading or seeing and separate fact from fiction, truth from scam. Always check the source that you are looking at, and make sure they have intentions to help and a history of fighting for the cause you want to support.

However, when used for good, there is no doubt that the fast-spreading fundraising that is created by social media is extraordinary. Families needing money for life saving surgeries are able to receive help from their communities, citizens struggling from war are able to receive help from across the world, and students are able to see the power they have to create change, starting with simply sharing a post.