Can a tweet save a life?
Originally published in December 2019 here.
We often wonder if Twitter is doing more harm than good. But isn’t the value of one life saved, greater than all those that couldn’t be?
Introduction
Richard Thaler [1] won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2017, for his extensive work in the field of Behavioral Economics [2]. Of the many concepts Thaler explains in his research, his research on the value of a life [3], is worth consideration for this essay. The author notices that any fundraiser for a specific individual (Grand-mother on life support, child needing surgery etc.) gets considerably higher amount of support when compared to a situation where the government would increase the fee for using a highway to reduce the fatality rate by 10%. The reason behind this, he says, is that human behavior gives more importance to the visible life rather than the statistical life. A 10% reduction in fatality rate implies an increased chance that 1/10 users of the road, will be saved, but as humans cannot observe this life saved, there is often opposition to increased taxes, whereas the grandmother and the child, both receive huge donations. If human beings are truly rational, as economists assume, they must not distinguish between the two lives, claims Thaler. That is an interesting Pandora’s Box in its entirety, but the analogy we can make from this is that Twitter has the unique privilege of saving visible lives and statistical lives in equal measure. Not just saving a life, but it also has the ability to improve lives that aren’t really
visible at first glance.
The Statistical Lives Saved by Twitter
Image: Popular meme used to ridicule Slacktivists.
Often ridiculed on the internet as social justice warriors with no real impact, Clicktivists or as they are better known, Slacktivists, have been viewed in popular culture to create no impact. But social science research [4] has shown that for any social movement to gain momentum, it is important that these slacktivists that form the periphery of the movement, keep the conversation afloat and help the core of the movement, gain attention and support from all over the world. In this way, Twitter has ensured that to save lives, you don’t really need to be on the front lines of a protest. Further evidence of this can be witnessed in the Twitter Revolutions of the decade,
where immense political upheaval had occurred, due to protests that were organized through this social media platform. The 4 revolutions that had been created and executed on social media and resulted in tangible change in the political framework of the nations are Iran [5], Moldova [6], in
2009, and Tunisia [7] and Egypt [8] in 2011. Having witnessed the revolutions in previous
countries, social science researchers were more prepared when it came to Egypt in 2011, and hence immense research to prove the usefulness of Twitter in revolutions has been published. Tweets and images from Tahrir Square in Egypt were geo-located and analyzed to show the
spread of information regarding protests [9], and it was concluded that the online periphery of the movement, helped disseminate information about the live location of the protest, possible no-go zones due to government clamp down, request for supplies etc. Furthermore, research has shown that there is a considerable difference between coverage of the protest on Television and on social media, with the first being more sensationalist, and selectively covering events of importance, compared to Twitter, which had been covering the event with much less bias, and much more comprehensively [10]. Just reading across the tweets that have been accumulated by various websites [11] helps picturize the revolution that had happened in 2011 with great lucidity.
Furthermore, Twitter has created a new form of activism called “Hashtag Activism” wherein all tweets relating to a common topic can be found with the help of a hashtag. This has been put to great use in these revolutions with #jan25[12] in Egypt and #sidibouzid [13] as the hashtags have been the online rallying cry for all supporters of the movement, and those who were willing to act as helpers through social media, or those seeking for information could quickly locate the same through these hashtags, thereby greatly working towards keeping the movement alive.
Journalism has changed immensely through twitter and the most often cited example of Twitter Journalism is the “Miracle on the Hudson” [14] in 2009 when a Twitter User posted the first picture of the US Airways plane that landed onto the Hudson River. This tweet is often touted as the best example to show how anyone can be a journalist. Furthermore, the use of Twitter has even transcended into the reporting of Crime. The lack of preference falsification on social media has led to those willing/intending to commit crimes, to openly state their intentions and this has
helped prevent heinous incidents in many cases [15]. The police have also begun using Twitter to understand the sentiment and perception of people towards police activity, surveillance, etc. afterva heinous crime (homicide) has been committed in a particular region, to ensure the people remain safe[16].
Similar sentiment analysis was conducted recently during the refugee crisis in Germany [17]. With the influx of migrants, or with new migrant detention centers opened in a particular region, the tweets in the region were examined to identify the fears and opinions of the people in that region. Accordingly, the local government worked to ensure a healthy and accommodative atmosphere so that there will be no incidents of any kind when the refugees are present.
While in these instances, statistical lives have been saved and implicit fatalities avoided, we must also look at instances where Twitter has improved the living conditions of a statistical life. The education sector is seeing a shift, with the increased use of Twitter. Research on the benefits of Twitter for better understanding economics [18] have not shown significant results, but the authors express that perhaps for other subjects that rely more on Twitter as a means of communication or resource material, such as International Relations, or cyber studies, or Contentious politics in a digital Sphere , the research could show significant results[19].
Therefore, we can safely conclude that Twitter has played a significant role in ensuring that lives were improved and even saved in some circumstances. With the role played by it in causing the revolutions collectively known as the Arab Spring, it will be no hyperbole to say that Twitter has played a role in restoring democracy in regions that were plagued by authoritarian governments with a poor track record for Human Rights. This upheaval in governmental institutions has not just saved many statistical lives at the time of upheaval but has ensured that there will be no government excesses causing human rights violations and consequently an increase in victims in the future. Furthermore, there is evidence of exertion of Soft Power by developed nations on other countries, through Twitter. This has helped shape opinions and exert influence beyond borders by bigger nations, a tactic often used by the UK [20]. Therefore, we can safely say that Twitter has done more good for the unknown/implicit than it may have intended to do in the first place.
The Visible lives saved by Twitter
“Someday when I meet Jack Dorsey, the very first words I will say to him would be,
‘Thank you for saving my life’”
says Mark Horvath the founder of invisiblePeople, an organization that seeks to fight homelessness [21]. Mark himself, was once homeless and by asking for help on Twitter, was able to find support. He now runs this organization by himself, that seeks to connect
those who are homeless with those willing to give care, and it is all done through twitter. Using relevant hashtags, Mark identifies those in need and points them in the right direction. In instances where homeless people don’t have cellphones, active bystanders help relay information to him.
A famous example of an individual saved by Twitter, is Rahaf Mohammed, from the #saverahaf campaign [22]. A woman from Saudi Arabia who had renounced her religion and escaped from her family, Rahaf was facing deportation back to her home country. Renouncing Islam, or Apostasy, is a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. She began tweeting for help, and her tweets were quickly picked up by Human Rights activists all over the world, who had ensured the right support was given to her. The campaign became so popular that within 4 days, 500,000
tweets were sent out with #saverahaf. The campaign proved successful and after being declared a legitimate refugee by the UNHCR, she has now decided to seek asylum in Australia.
Twitter certainly saved Rahaf from certain death.
While there are millions of such examples, there is one example [23] that gives great joy to me personally. It is the first time the popular phrase, ‘Twitter, do your thing’ was said.
Within a week, the Tweet had received over 12,000 retweets and well-wishers for Gabriel poured from all over the world. And within 2 weeks, the little boy found his donor.
Failures of Twitter
Information overload on Twitter has often unsettling consequences, most of them being latent in nature. Journalists have found that Twitter acts as ‘Multiple Concussive Blows to the head’ in terms of the kind of information that can be found online. Traditional news mediums often categorize the amount of negative news, tragic incidents, positive events etc. that needs to be given coverage. Whereas on Twitter, the switch from a cat video to news of a horrific accident is swift, and then incidents that are even more traumatic such as shootings are often broadcasted.
This uncontrolled/unabashed output of citizen journalism has created cause for concern for the mental health issues of the users [24]. Revolutions that emerged and grew on Twitter before spilling on to real life were many, but when the same had failed, such as the Moldovian Revolution, exposing thousands to the government, there have been repercussions [25].
Furthermore, Twitter creates a fertile ground for vigilante activism, which is often seen in the form of Doxing, where personal information about individuals are leaked online. This can have varied consequences, which are viewed either favorably [26] by most people, when it comes to doxing the Alt-Right, or by others [27] who view doxing as an evil practice of serving justice with no legal authority, and whose outcomes are always uncontrollable and sometimes disproportionate to the transgression. Also, staking claim to the internet proverb, “The memory of the internet is forever” Twitter often keeps record of user activity and this can create concerns on grounds of data privacy. This data has already been used for political targeting [28], prompting Twitter to come up with new guidelines [29] for electioneering on the social media platform, with the biggest being Twitter’s ban on political advertising. Furthermore, misinformation (this [30] occurred whilst I was writing this paper) through Twitter and other social media is a huge problem, and there is never enough being done to tackle this issue.
Conclusions
But have these failed revolutions really failed us? Did increased internet censorship in an authoritarian country, lead to a defeat of the human spirit in the region? That is where we must find comfort. The positive impacts of twitter far outweigh its pitfalls. Twitter seeks to continually change opinion, change cultures, and democratically alter the zeitgeist of our world. The
amazing feature of this Twitter Democracy, is it is beyond geographical borders, economic constraints, and ideological blockades. With enough support, governments have been changed, new institutions created, women and children helped, plots of TV and movies altered[31], and most importantly, a platform for the good of humanity to come together to effect change, has been created. For the failed revolution or movement, the idea is simple, captured by a famous quote from Iron-Man 2, ‘if you can make God bleed, the world will cease to believe in him’. Therefore, we can safely say that the revolution has not failed, just that its time has not yet come.
The statistical lives and the visible lives saved by Twitter outnumber those lost, literally and figuratively by an astronomical figure. For the instances where there have been negative consequences, while unfortunate, does not necessitate the control of this medium. While there is always infinite darkness, only a small candle is required to bring back goodness.
Therefore, it can be said without a doubt that, Yes, a tweet can save a life.
References:
1. Biography of Richard Thaler from the Official Website of the Nobel Committee https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2017/thaler/facts/
2. Peter E. Earl (2018) Richard H. Thaler: A Nobel Prize for Behavioural
Economics, Review of Political Economy, 30:2, 107-
125, DOI: 10.1080/09538259.2018.1513236
3. Richard H. Thaler, Shwerin Rosen: The Value of Saving a Life: Evidence from the Labor
Market, (P. 265–302) ISBN: 087014515–0. 1976 http://www.nber.org/chapters/c3964
4. Barberá P, Wang N, Bonneau R , Jost JT, Nagler J, Tucker J, etal.(2015)The Critical Periphery in the Growth of Social Protests. PLoS ONE10(11):e0143611.doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0143611
5. Evaluating Iran’s Twitter Revolution https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/06/evaluating-irans-twitter- revolution/58337/
6. Mungiu-Pippidi, Alina & Munteanu, Igor. (2009). Moldova’s “Twitter Revolution”.
Journal of Democracy. 20. 136–142. 10.1353/jod.0.0102.
7. Tunisia: The First Twitter Revolution?
https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/01/15/the-first-twitter-revolution-2/
8. Twitter Sparked and Accelerated Egypt’s Revolution. https://www.wired.com/2011/02/egypts-revolutionary-fire/
9. Kharroub, T., & Bas, O. (2016). Social media and protests: An examination of Twitter images of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. New Media & Society, 18(9), 1973–1992. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815571914
10. Section: Comparing Twitter to television news coverage http://idep.library.ucla.edu/node/2343/case-study-tahrir-square-twitter-visualizations
11. Chronology of Tweets from Tahrir Square https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/14/tahrir-square-tweet-egyptian-uprising
12. The importance of #Jan25 in Egypt. https://techcrunch.com/2011/02/16/jan25-twitter-egypt/
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13. Twitter as a multilingual space: The articulation of the Tunisian revolution through
#sidibouzid
https://necsus-ejms.org/twitter-as-a-multilingual-space-the-articulation-of-the-tunisian- revolution-through-sidibouzid-by-thomas-poell-and-kaouthar-darmoni/
14. Miracle on the Hudson.
https://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/15/tech/hudson-landing-twitpic-krums/index.html
15. Social Media is changing the way Crimes are being committed. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2016/01/28/how-social-media-is-changing-the-way- people-commit-crimes-and-police-fight-them/
16. Kounadi O, Lampoltshammer TJ, Groff E, Sitko I, Leitner M (2015) Exploring Twitter to
Analyze the Public’s Reaction Patterns to Recently Reported Homicides in London. PLoS ONE 10(3): e0121848. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0121848
17. Linder, Fridolin, Online Public Opinion and Refugee Allocation. Assessment of the Impact of Refugee Facilities on Individual Expression of Political Views on Twitter (September 17, 2018). https://ssrn.com/abstract=3250818
18. Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Darshak Patel & Brandon J. Sheridan (2017) Evaluating Twitter and its impact on student learning in principles of economics courses, The Journal of Economic Education, 48:4, 243–253, DOI: 10.1080/00220485.2017.1353934
19. Tang, Ying & Hew, Khe. (2017). Using Twitter for education: Beneficial or simply a waste of time?. Computers & Education. 106. 97–118. 10.1016/j.compedu.2016.12.004.
20. Exertion of Soft Power by the United Kingdom through Twitter. https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-policy-insight/insight-articles/soft-power-twitter
21. Mark Horvath and invisiblePeople.
https://invisiblepeople.tv/twitter-saved-my-life-and-helps-me-to-help-others/
22. Save Rahaf Campaign
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/08/rahaf-al-qunun-saudi-woman-under-un- protection-as-australia-urges-asylum-claim
23. Gabriel and the Kidney Donor https://medium.com/swlh/twitter-saved-a-life-f9319857ab44
24. Twitter’s Information Over load and Mental health https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/health/a13083796/twitter-mental-health/
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25. Moldova’s Failed Twitter Revolution https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/04/07/moldovas-twitter-revolution/
26. Doxing the Alt-Right https://psmag.com/news/doxxing-the-alt-right-racists
27. Dangers of Doxing on Twitter
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2017/08/18/the-dangers-of-doxing-and-the-implications- for-media-regulation/
28. Kruikemeier, Sanne. (2014). How political candidates use Twitter and the impact on votes. Computers in Human Behavior. 34. 131–139. 10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.025.
29. Guidelines from Twitter to maintain Integrity during Election Campaigns. https://about.twitter.com/en_us/values/elections-integrity.html
30. Doctored Photo of Elizabeth Warren spreading on her Campaign Trail https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/27/opponents-elizabeth-warren- spread-doctored-photo-twitter-her-campaign-couldnt-stop-its-spread/?
31. When Twitter Fans Steer TV
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444772804577623444273016770