Last week, Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber tweeted #BeAnOrganDonor to over 16 million followers. The reason? A successful campaign led by 20-year-old Hélène Campbell, an Ottawa resident in need of a lung transplant.
Along with Bieber, other Canadian celebrities such as George Stroumboulopoulos and Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty joined in on tweeting for the cause.
The results were impressive. Twitter saw a 600 per cent boost in registration, and 565 people registered on the Trillium Gift of Life Network website in the days following Campbell’s plea, according to the National Post.
The story also garnered a lot of media attention, bringing the issue to light for the whole Twitter universe, which transcends geographical borders.
This much awareness for organ donation is unprecedented and the fact that the entire campaign existed only on social media is no coincidence.
Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” campaign is another example of a social media campaign that took off. Using YouTube, Savage targeted gay youth in high school who were being bullied in an attempt to prevent teen suicide.
While older generations have disposable income to spend supporting charities, financially-challenged youth can use what they know best — social media — to spread awareness. It’s easy, cheap, and accessible — and clearly, it works.
Social media may have its disadvantages; it’s distracting and often written off as a waste of time. But as these recent campaigns have proven, it has the potential to be an extremely positive tool for social change. And in Campbell’s case, it has the potential to save lives.
