Japan - Getting the word out

Early this morning, many of us learned about the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake that took place in Japan. Effects have already been felt as far as California. While many people who use social media worry about their privacy, others use their first amendment right to speech to help get the word out. Already, there are many groups on Facebook to help raise money for the earthquake/tsunami relief in Japan.

A couple of them include:

• For every 1000 fans, we will donate $1 to the Japanese Tsunami Relief
• Help Me Raise Donations for Japanese Earthquake Relief Efforts 
• Operation Chopstix: Japanese Eathquake & Tsunami Relief 
• Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief 

These are just a small sampling of the groups available, but it just goes to show that many people have already heard about the disaster and are willing to help. The social media networks like Facebook and Twitter are merely tools to recruit help for the disaster relief.

Another observation from this horrible tragedy is how most of the information has been gathered. Most of the material we see on the late night news or published on the internet or in newspapers has been retrieved from people who experienced the tsunami and earthquake. To me, I find it unbelievable that people suffering this terrible situation have been posting through Twitter, Facebook, etc. about what they are going through. I don't blame them at all, however. The few who do have internet access have been trying to keep their families up to date as well as showing just how bad the devastation actually is.

I actually have a friend from high school who recently moved to Japan. Her posts on Facebook have helped me know that she is alive and well. It got me to thinking - What if we weren't allowed to freely post information about such horrendous disasters? What if, for some reason, our first amendment right was suppressed and we weren't able to quickly let our families know that we were OK? In many areas around the world, this right doesn't really exist. We are lucky to live in a society where we are able to say what we want (within reason). With this specific disaster, many families around the world were left wondering whether or not their loved ones had survived the tsunami. In many cases, people had internet access but not cell phone reception. These "tweets" or status updates have allowed these families who wondered whether or not a loved one  was alive to know for sure that they did indeed survive the earthquake.

My heart and prayers go out to all those affected by the tsunami.

For more breaking news, check out the New York Times Widget below:

Word Count: 439