With West Africa being ravaged by the world's deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus, journalists and bloggers in the region have taken to starting Twitter hashtags campaign to help spread useful information on Ebola.
Influential Nigerian blogger and social commentator Japheth Omojuwa started '#FactsonEbola'. Despite not being a medical expert, Omojuwa started the hashtag to "bridge the gap between ignorance and information". His hashtag has since been used over 2,000 times.
Across the border in Ghana, the Accra-based radio station Citi 97.3 FM began a similar hashtag, #EbolaFacts. The hashtag is being used to tweet out information about Ebola and how its spread can be curtailed. This hashtag also has been used in over 2,000 tweets. The radio station began the campaign in response to the absence of sufficient education and information on Ebola.
Viral Virus Hashtag Campaigns
The #FactsOnEbola & #EbolaFacts Hashtags Offer Information on Ebola
Trend Themes
1. Hashtag Campaigns for Social Causes - Organizations and activists can leverage hashtag campaigns to spread awareness and information on social issues.
2. Crowdsourced Information for Health Crises - Crowdsourcing can be useful in gathering and disseminating important information during health crises.
3. Social Media as a News and Information Platform - Social media has become an important platform for spreading news and information in real-time during emergencies.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media Platforms - Social media platforms can develop features and tools that make it easier to create and track hashtag campaigns for social causes.
2. Healthcare and Public Health - The healthcare industry can leverage crowdsourcing and social media to better respond to health crises and inform the public.
3. Journalism and News Media - Journalism and news media organizations can improve reporting during emergencies by leveraging social media and crowdsourced information.