Social media is multifaceted in its use and can help raise awareness for issues. Furthermore, it can be used to raise funds for the ever-increasing issue of global hunger. Social media not only reaches a wide audience to alert people to the issues but it also mobilises people to do something about it.

Advocacy and Engagement

Many people use multiple platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to raise awareness for issues across the world. Various organizations and individuals have used platforms for advocacy and engagement to help fight global hunger.

In 2015, the World Food Program (WFP) created the ShareTheMeal campaign which allows users to help those in need with just a few taps on their phone. This helped the cause as the ease of creating a change meant that people were more likely to donate and help the issue, as well as create awareness and a place for people to make a change on the issue of global hunger.

Social media can mobilize people to fundraise which is one of the ways how the ShareTheMeal campaign works. Sharing campaign links through social media brings users closer to helping those in need with only a few taps. ShareTheMeal campaign requires €0.70 minimum to pay and in 2022 it has helped provide 150 million meals around the world.

Real-Time Updates and Wider Reach

The fast-paced nature of social media means that there are real-time updates and the updates can reach people faster. With a broader and quicker reach, people all over the world take an interest and want to find out more. This can be seen through the ShareTheMeal campaign by highlighting certain issues quickly and in depth. In 2020, the Beirut blast further worsened the already existing food crisis in Lebanon. Within 48 hours, ShareTheMeal set up a campaign and helped provide food to people who were struggling, WFP reports.

ShareTheMeal also created a campaign to support people living in Palestine without proper resources to feed themselves and supported 1.1 million people with food just in July 2024. This highlights how campaigns that are on social media can reach a vast number of people quickly and create mass awareness and support for issues surrounding global hunger.

ShareTheMeal

This is just one of the many campaigns on social media currently trying to tackle the issue of global hunger. Charities and organizations that are using social media are important to help both large-scale issues as well as small scale, both by raising awareness and funds for global hunger.

– Rosie Miller

Rosie is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr