How Social Media Can Improve Lives

     Hello Everyone!
     Today I will be talking about how the use of social media data can and has been used to improve lives.
In January of 2015, heavy rains caused huge amounts of rain in Malawi, Africa. Nearly half the country was seen as a disaster zone, but humanitarian relief agencies, like the Red Cross, found it impossibly difficult to allocate resources and aid to places that were all but unrecorded by Africa's mapping data. Because the workers struggled figuring out where aid was needed, relief did not necessarily reach those who needed it the most.
     To prevent similar situations in the future, volunteers,researchers and humanitarian workers partnered with Facebook to fill in knowledge gaps in the mapping of the area. Called the "Missing Maps" project, the Red Cross used Facebook's widespread population density data to map and locate individuals who were susceptible to natural disasters and similar emergencies, but were unrecorded on modern mapping data Due to the success of this project, aid and relief organizations have been better able to locate areas that need their assistance and send the necessary aid to people who need it.
    The "Missing Maps" project is just one use of data collaboratives with social media that have had positive results.Through correct use of the collaborative model, many different communities can come together to provide information in order to solve public problems. Because of the diverse usage of social media, there is a wealth of new insights and possible avenues of action. By sharing data responsibly and with permission of the users, the information provided could help with many situations similar to the disaster in Malawi.Organizations can also get a better idea of what communities want and do not want to do in terms of solving these local issues. As long as the organizations that intend to help are aware of and avoid the risks, such as misinterpretation of data, the collaboration would prove very beneficial to citizens in a variety of social situations.
To learn more about the topic of data collaborations through social media, check out this article by The Conversation Website posted this week on April 10th! http://theconversation.com/how-social-media-data-can-improve-peoples-lives-if-used-responsibly-75367