Technology and the Haiti earthquake
Helping Haiti is as easy as sending a one-word text message.
The “text Haiti to 90999″ campaign has raised a lot of money, despite the fact that modern technology has allowed more than one Haiti earthquake hoax to spread. Twitter bred a couple of hoaxes, including UPS to Haiti free shipping and airlines flying doctors to Haiti for free. However, the positive things that technology has done to help victims of the Haiti earthquake of 2010 outweigh the negative side effects.
While some shady people harness the ease with which modern technology allows people to conduct business, others are harnessing it for good. The text-to-donate campaigns, such as Haiti to 90999, that have been set up to help Haiti have been very successful, and it’s easy to see why.
Simple and sensible
Of course, people who are living paycheck-to-paycheck and regularly getting payday cash advances might not be able to afford to donate $10 to help people in Haiti. However, the majority of Americans won’t even notice a $10 difference in their budgets. Text-to-donate campaigns are genius because it makes it so incredibly easy to give. Plus, automatically setting it at a $10 donation, which is very affordable for most people, means that it’s so easy and inexpensive that people practically have to feel guilty if they don’t do it. And they should.
A lot of people might be wary of this method of donating because they fear it’s a hoax. However, the message to text Haiti to 90999 has been spread by trusted news organizations. It’s also all over social networking sites, so I have seen the message posted by several friends who I trust and who I know are well-informed. It’s smart to be wary of messages asking for money, but thanks to trusted sources spreading the word about Haiti to 90999, that campaign has raised $4 million. Other text-to-donate campaigns have raised money as well. To donate to Wyclef Jean’s foundation, text Haiti to 501501, and to donate to the Clinton Foundation for Haiti earthquake relief, text Haiti to 20222.
WoW what a joke. Society and the media, leaning on the PEOPLE of the country to help Haiti, and then in the next breath reaffirming that we need them to exist. ARen't you a good little lemming, selling your little guilt trip.
The truth is: the only thing useful about your sending 10 from your phone is that you dont "practically" have to feel guilty.
You sending 10 by phone didnt extract one single "poor native" from from under a wall, or help the twently people trapped in a building. You braintrusts act as if pressing a button and sending 10 is all that it takes.
You are feeding a machine, and that is all you are doing.
'you have a nice day'
Wyclef Jean’s organization is under investigation and probably should NOT be included as a valid charity at this time. It would be more prudent to give to the American Red Cross or Catholic Relief organizations than to any organizations with a tarnished or suspect financial background.
Please give all you can as this is really a dire situation for these people. We all wish them the best of luck.
By the way, in case anyone wondered (I know I did!) what organization is running the 'text Haiti to 90999' campaign, since it's the only one of the three you mentioned that you didn't cite what organization it was – the 'Text Haiti to 90999' campaign is the American Red Cross.