I’ve heard all the gripes.

Twitter: little more than the latest avenue for self-interested narcissists to proclaim their every move and thought to an “enthralled” online audience.

Facebook: the world’s most dangerous weapon of mass procrastination.

There’s probably more than a little truth to these public opinions.

However, I’m convinced that when it comes to these new media outlets, there’s more to the story.
I’ve been on Facebook for my entire college career — nearly four years — as a casual “Facebooker” who rarely signs on more than twice a day to check up on old friends or learn about new acquaintances. I am more of a newcomer to the “tweeting” scene.

Since I imagine most of the Twitter audience cares what I’m up to about as much as I’m interested in what Ashton Kutcher is having for lunch, I prefer to observe what others with more intriguing lives have to say on the happenings of the day.

During my few visits to both sites recently, one topic has dominated much of the “tweeting” and Facebook chatter: Haiti.

Until the tragic events in Haiti, I would have been hard-pressed to refute any popular perceptions of these social media juggernauts.

Yes, they may be enormous time-wasters. Yes, they may be slightly addictive for some.

But they have helped orchestrate and fund a massive relief effort in Haiti with a speed we have never seen before.

Minutes after the earthquake leveled much of Port-au-Prince, the American Red Cross and other aid organizations were updating followers on Twitter with news from the ground and information about how and where to donate relief funds.
Hours later, videos flooded Facebook and YouTube soliciting text donations, fueling a campaign that within 10 days of the quake had amassed over $30 million for Haiti relief efforts.

By comparison, in the incipient days of Facebook and the pre-Twitter era, donations from mobile users to the Red Cross’s relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina in 2005 totaled just $400,000.
A survey by Facebook and the Nielsen Company showed that as of Monday, 39% of Facebook users in the U.S., U.K. and Australia have donated money or goods to the cause.

Coincidence? I think not.

That’s the real value of social media: connecting us, not just to those we know, but to those we don’t know who are coping with situations we can’t possibly understand.

— Drew Kann is a senior from Decatur majoring in magazines