Oct 6, 2010 0
I like it on the…
This is the second time that I can remember that there has been a Facebook status update that has gone viral to raise awareness of Breast Cancer. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, if you’ve seen your friends update their status to something like “I like it on the couch” or “I like it on the bench” they are referring to their purse, nothing more. You may also remember women posting the colour of their bra back in January. The hope is that it raises awareness for Breast Cancer.
But I’m not sure how much good this actually does. Sure, I’m all for raising awareness for Breast Cancer, but I can’t help see the negatives in these kinds of campaigns. First, it leaves men in the dark as only women update their statuses, while men are left to wander in the gutter while they think women are talking about the deed. Men (or women) who may not know any better may comment on said statuses and could be embarrassed or put to shame. It can also create an illusion for those that do update their statuses as such, that they are actually doing some good for the cause, but if there is no follow up support for the cause, the cause becomes trivial.
Twitter users have also put their hand up to help raise awareness and are doing a much better job, adding pink ribbons from twibbon.com to their profile pictures with a tweet of something like “Support Breast Cancer Awareness – add a #twibbon to your avatar now!” – which I think is much more effective and sharing than the secretive messages on facebook. However, “i like facebook status” is the number 1 Google search trend for today, with “i like it on the couch”, “i like it on the kitchen table” and “i like it on the counter” and more appearing in the top 20, which tells me facebook users are more confused than aware.
The NFL are also getting into it wearing pink shoes, gloves, and chin-straps for games in the month of October…
So what do you think? Are these viral facebook and twitter campaigns worth it? Do they raise awareness? Does it make things trivial? Let me know in the comments below!
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