From leading the way in fund-raising for Haiti to attempting to propel the song 'Mrs Robinson' to No 1, Facebook has become the global medium of choice for campaigns both serious and frivolous, writes BRIAN BOYD
A THREE-DAY-OLD Facebook campaign has already raised what is believed to be a social networking site record of over $5 million to aid victims of the Haiti earthquake. The Earthquake Haiti page is adding some 75,000 new members each day, and apart from raising money is also carrying immediate and vital messages from relief agencies – as well as heartbreaking personal pleas from Haitians desperately asking about the whereabouts of immediate family members.
“Thank God for Facebook,” says the Port-au-Prince Salvation Army director, referring to the fact that, with phone lines down in the country, the site not only provided the first reportage and photographs of the natural disaster but is also leading the way in fundraising and coping with the aftermath.
Facebook users who usually post mundane details about their lives in between commenting on the lives of other members have been mobilising themselves like never before in response to the earthquake. Their sincerity is best summed up by a user who has pleaded for other users to stop sending each other “virtual martinis, fluffy pillows, digital daisies and other such crap” (typical Facebook activities) and instead “send some money to Haiti”.
From the deathly serious to the frivolously funny, Facebook campaigns are quickly becoming the first port of call for anyone with a point to make. The most obvious example of its massive influence and rapid turnaround capabilities, came at Christmas when a disgruntled British DJ managed to get Facebook users to send Rage Against the Machine to the top of the charts instead of the winner of last year's The X Factor.
The fact that one individual could set in train an ultimately successful campaign that drew worldwide attention has encouraged others to focus on the site’s instant global contact facility – there are over 350 million active Facebook users worldwide.
Some attempt to ape the Rage Against the Machine success, such as the current Here's To You Mrs Robinson campaign to get Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs Robinsonto No 1 in the UK singles charts following the revelations about Iris Robinson. There is a real chance of Mrs Robinsonbeing in the top 10 when the chart is announced by the BBC tomorrow.
There is a similar campaign in support of Sex Pistol's God Save The Queen, which aims to have it top of the charts for the British queen's birthday in June.
In more political matters, the site is being taken increasingly seriously: just prior to the controversial Iranian actions last June, Facebook mysteriously appeared to be “blocked” in the country (opposition leaders claimed that President Ahmadinejad’s supporters were fearful of how it was mobilising the opposition vote). Following the election, Facebook access was restored in Iran.
The numbers that can be mobilised by even the most facetious-sounding Facebook campaign are impressive: a campaign to have Top Gearpresenter Jeremy Clarkson installed as the UK's next prime minister has attracted almost half a million supporters.
Whether you want to encourage people to "Tandem Surf" or you think Barack Obama is a socialist and a racist and Must Be Stopped, there is a campaign group for you. And campaigns can be particular to one country: last month there was an unsuccessful attempt to get the Irish musician Jape to the top of the Irish singles charts with his song Phil Lynott.
Facebook manages to artfully combine the funny and the serious. Many women are now writing down their bra colour to describe their status — and it’s all to do with a campaign to highlight breast cancer awareness.
