The earthquake in Haiti was unprecedented in recent memory and left a trail of devastation that has brought the country to its knees. The rescue efforts have also been unprecedented with support from all quarters including the United Nations, aid organizations and the mass media.

However, there is a new component – social media and it is already playing an important role in the rescue efforts. Unlike traditional media, social media helps gather and disseminate information in real-time, which includes information from people at the disaster zone without edits.

In the case of Haiti, while traditional media have been picking up information from official sources, eyewitness accounts of the earthquake were being posted across Twitter. Incidentally, during the early stages of news coverage, news outlets like CNN and New York times were relying on content generated by users across social media!

Social media has also been very resourceful in mobilizing funds instantly for the cause. Fund raising applications have sprung all across Facebook which has helped in gathering hundreds of millions of $ in contributions. According to Randi Zuckerberg, who manages non-profit initiatives for Facebook “People have contributed thousands of dollars through the Causes application on Facebook… Groups including the American Red Cross, Oxfam America and Partners in Health have mobilised supporters through their Facebook pages and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the last 24 hours alone.”

In another example, Wyclef Jean (Haitian-American multi-platinum musician), an early Twitter adopter, directed his followers to his non-profit organization asking them to text $5 donations. By the end of the first week, he raised $2 million setting the stage for other celebrities to do their bit for the relief effort.

That said, Social media doesn’t replace traditional media in relief efforts and you still need the reach and accessibility of mainstream media. Also, social media doesn’t have the structure of traditional media and can if not controlled can spread panic uncalled for only hampering efforts.

However, social media has proved its mettle so far and will certainly play a more important role in providing relief and support in calamities.