The influence of social media on charity is vast and widespread. Traditionally, people needed to walk about begging for alms that could barely suffice or meet their needs. They were limited to their immediate community, and most times the help they got was small and inconsistent.
Social media has bridged that gap with wider visibility and ease of donation from a larger audience. A short video clip of a person seeking charity has the potential of gathering hundreds to thousands of people within a few hours who voluntarily donate money to save a cause or aid recovery of the sick. What once took weeks of moving from street to street can now happen online before the day ends with tangible aid.
Social media: the middleman between the donor and donee
Especially in crowdfunding, it gives voice and strength to average humans. You don’t need an NGO or a big platform to be heard anymore. Anybody with a phone and internet can tell their story directly, and it makes giving feel personal. Donors see the face, hear the voice, and know exactly where their money is going and what it’s intended for.
Previously charity involved NGOs who oftentimes split the funds into half to support the person and also the organization for logistics and verification. It meant the beneficiary could get less. Social media eliminates the middleman cost, though it introduces a new challenge: trust and integrity.
Even the marking of cards to raise money for events is on the decline now. When I was little, I used to do that for my interhouse sports day. People would sign on to the card and give money. It usually had numbering from 0-20 or up to 50. That was a form of charity, and oftentimes some people split the money in two — keeping some for themselves and giving some to the game master. It was local, limited, and based on trust within the school even with that it was compromised by some people.
Now social media amplifies the reach of charity by breaking geographical boundaries. It makes it possible to raise funds within a few hours to a few weeks, depending on the cause, without the need for a physical meeting. The role of Social media on charity makes it speedy, helpful and more efficient.
Although social media is a harmless tool, people who operate social media often abuse its power. Some people defraud others of their money by lying about needing charity. Some serve lies or disguise themselves to seek help from non-suspecting people to extort money.
I read about a social media influencer who charged money from a needy person in order to crowdfund financial support for them. This was inhumane. If they had the money in the first place, they would not be seeking crowdfunding support. So why charge them again?
Albeit, there are also honest influencers who use social media for genuine charity. The same tool that helps can also be abused.
Some people set cameras now while doing charity.
It could be to show that the people truly receive the charity or to gain public recognition and applause. Whether it's right or wrong depends on individuals preferences and intention . As long as the cause of charity was being done and someone truly received help.
That is why social media in itself is a tool but not an end to means. It encourages voluntary donations which people find easy to do out of their goodwill and freewill. The influence of social media on charity is providing wider interactions between different people to offer help.
As such it is necessary to verify any requests for charity on social media before funding to ensure authenticity and reduce fraud and blackmail while getting help to the people who truly needs it.
Image is mine.
