By Eliza • 4 Comments
Social media is a great way to catch up with old friends, network for your career and help those around you. Sometimes a post goes viral and changes the world in a small way. The Nice attacks were a tragic event that left families grieving. Amidst the sorrow can be a story that starts to restore your faith in humanity. That's not the only time social media left our hearts a little bigger. These stories should make you feel good again.
When the truck tore through the crowd in Nice, family members and friends were separated as they leaped out of the path of the truck. Fortunately for one small baby, a good citizen picked him up, snapped a photo and posted it to Facebook. While the baby's mother worried about him and feared the worst, that original Facebook post was shared and shared again until the number of shares reached more than 20,000. Soon, mother and baby were reunited and some heavy hearts began to heal.
Pokemon Go has been in the news in a big way over the last few days when people came out saying it has helped their mental health in ways they never expected. It turns out that the game is also connecting the unlikeliest of characters. When a 40-year old white man went out for a walk at 3am to play the game, he hooked up with a couple of young black guys who were also playing. When a cop suspected them of being up to no good, they explained what they were doing and the police officer downloaded the app there and then, and the trio of night owls helped him get started.
A desperate mother who knew she wasn't equipped to care for her newborn daughter left her at a Burger King because she knew she would be found there. Years down the road, that baby reached out via social media looking for her birth mother. They were reunited soon after.
When 11-year old Collin, who is disabled told his mother he didn't want a birthday party because he didn't have any friends, she set out to prove him wrong. She started a Facebook page which garnered him 60,000 friends in just a few days. Not long after that, he was given a huge surprise birthday party in Times Square by Good Morning America. He now has over 2 million friends on social media.
I don't think there is a person alive who hasn't seen the adorable baby who got cochlear implants and was able to hear his mom for the first time. Not only does the video make you feel good, but it has raised awareness for deafness all over the world.
Twitter doesn't always get as much attention as Facebook or Instagram, but it has been used for lots of good things. One such event is Twestival in which people on Twitter came together to raise $250,000 to provide clean water to those in need. A social event like this can reach millions of people, helping bring them all together for the greater good.
When 6-year old Glenn, who is autistic and has epilepsy, had a birthday party and no one showed up, he was devastated. His mother took their tale of woe to social media as a way to cope with her sadness. Not long after, several local families showed up with cake, gifts and a bouncy castle to help Glenn celebrate. When local police and firefighters got wind of the story, they brought their vehicles for Glenn to sit in as well as loads more presents.
Don't these stories touch your heart? Which one is your favorite?