There is no doubt that social media has made the world a smaller place.  By now most of us have incorporated Facebook, YouTube and Twitter into the fabric of our daily lives and changed the way we communicate with others.   However, no event has demonstrated the extraordinary power of social media quite like the recent earthquake in Haiti.  Suddenly Twitter is no longer just a fun way of socializing, but has become a critical tool in saving countless lives in the aftermath of the disaster.   As we speak, thousands of people are tweeting about Haiti, spreading the word, building support and disseminating important and timely information to those who need it around the world.  There are currently about 100 tweets a minute being posted about Haiti, and it is estimated that there have been more than 150,000 tweets about the Red Cross, helping to raise over $20 million for the charity’s Haiti relief effort.

Although social media has been used as a platform in emergency situations in the past, it has never had this much success in actually making a difference where it matters most.  Relief organizations seem to be harnessing Twitter more effectively than before, applying it in conjunction with other mediums to boost fundraising and spread awareness far and wide in a very short time.  Volunteers working in the disaster zone are using Twitter to share information with each other and coordinate their relief efforts to ensure that they are responding in the most effective way possible. 

Traditional media outlets are also using Twitter to disseminate news quickly and easily.  Early this morning a Toronto Star reporter tweeted in the middle of a 6.1 aftershock that she felt a tremor but had run outside and was safe.  As news of the second earthquake broke, Twitter temporarily crashed due to the high volume of tweets trying to get through.  News programmes were actually reading tweets from Haiti live on-air to give viewers the latest information about the aftershock.  Phone lines in Haiti are down and even text messages are taking up to 2 days to get through, therefore social media is stepping in where telecommunication is failing. 

Although people are still relying on traditional media to get their information about Haiti, they are using Twitter to react to the situation, share their feelings, and seek solace with people in the Internet community.  For the first time after a natural disaster of this magnitude, Twitter is allowing followers to witness events as they unfold through the eyes of those who are in the centre of the action.  Not only can people share in the pain of Haitians as they struggle to come to terms with what has happened, but they can also share joy in the wonderful stories of hope and survival that are emerging from the rubble. 

Some aid workers argue that immediacy is not the same as impact, and they worry that technology is actually having a negative effect on the Haiti relief effort by distracting people from the magnitude of the disaster.  Charities are concerned that social media users will have forgotten about Haiti in a few days and will turn their attention to another fad topic, when it may take years before Haitians fully recover from the disaster. 

While this may or may not be true, the point is that Twitter has started the conversation about Haiti and people are talking about it more than ever before.  Social media has allowed people to connect over this disaster on a global scale, and it has revolutionized the way we can help those who need it the most.  Imagine the possibilities if Twitter had existed during 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina.  Twitter is saving lives in Haiti because it is giving people a medium to come together and show how much they care.  While the earthquake is a terrible tragedy, it may make people finally sit up and take notice of this impoverished country and force the world to take steps to make a difference in Haiti, not just now, but in the years to come.