Is it helpful to "Like" us on Facebook to help?

Many times we find requests for help on social networks, which only ask us to share or "Like" to improve the life of a person. Actually, a click costs us nothing, apart from the fact that it fills our wall with somewhat debatable content. However, the interesting question is whether there's a point in liking us on Facebook to help And it's a pretty complex subject.

It may seem that a click is not going to help, and to some extent it is. But there are different cases, and the consequences have nothing to do with it. Sharing or liking can have very different results depending on the type of topics we choose, so we have to be careful.

Therefore, we are going to differentiate three very different cases to find out to what extent it is useful to "like" or use another of the new reactions on Facebook to help third parties. Here begins the list:

Purely viral content

The typical message that says that a sick child (or any other example) will receive money for each "Like" is usually false. The same is true of petitions in which you ensure that you are excited to have your story shared. Regarding the cases of complaints, there is a very high risk that they are pure urban legends, invented viral stories.

Is it useful to "Like" on Facebook to help?

These examples are easy to identify: the situation is very touching, but it fails at a logical level We can ask ourselves some basic questions. Who is going to put the money for each "Like" exactly? Is there a web page, a news item in the media or another source that confirms the facts? Is the above consistent, and is there a person or organization behind the chain?

The truth is that there is no shortage of this type of content on the Internet. Liking a malnourished child will not provide them with food directly, although it may help in other ways, as we'll see later. But the first thing is to apply common sense, and identify junk content.

Local Stories

Here we enter a different case, in which the power of social networks is verified. They are the local issues of Facebook users who live in our country or autonomous communityThey can be missing persons, campaigns to collect funds for medical treatment, public complaints or even finding homes for pets.

In this situation, a "like" or share can help get an important story out Although, in many other cases, really what we should do is act beyond social networks. It depends on the case, but local histories are generally more reliable.

Now, we have to make sure that we like a message that deserves it. We must confirm that it belongs to our environment (we are not adopting a dog in Australia) and that it is current (for example, a fundraiser). We have to verify that, apart from a photo, details of what is requested appear, that they are coherent and sufficient to act. If there is a page or other source, much better.

Solidarity content

Sometimes on Facebook appear content related to humanitarian crises: refugees, natural disasters, famines… On these occasions, it is usually evident that the problem is real, but we don't know if liking us on facebook helps.

Obviously, the logical thing to do is to act in the real world, with a donation, for example. This is what will make the difference, everything else is of very secondary importance.

But the NGOs confirm that, when Facebook is filled with tragic images of a problem, the donations they receive increase The NGOs themselves do not they usually share these photos for ethical reasons, but they recognize that users generate social and political pressure with a simple "Like".

Details like putting the Syrian flag on Facebook can help, but not always much. When Syrian boy Aylan drowned and the photo went viral, politicians promised to act, but the results were meager.

Of course, there are alternatives to make donations that social networks popularize. So we can say that Liking on Facebook helps, but we really need to commit to more than just a click.

What do you think of this topic? Do you share this type of content on your wall, or do you prefer to help in a more discreet and effective way?