Will a Tweet Save a Life? According to UNICEF Sweden, Probably Not

May 6, 2013 11:15 AM ET

Prove Your Purpose

There's no doubt that social media has made a huge impact on the nonprofit world. From "tweetaconda" to pink and red drenched Facebook profiles to raise awareness for marriage equality, nonprofits have employed myriad tactics to increase awareness and recruit prospective donors. But one nonprofit is coming out and saying that a tweet is sometimes not enough – especially when there is a life at stake.

UNICEF Sweden recently launched a controversial campaign speaking out against "slacktivisim," a simple, online action to show support of a cause or issue. The organization's position that social media actions won't help impact issues – in UNICEF's case, provide vaccinations or save lives – is driven home by a video of a young orphan named Rahim, who says he's not worried about polio impacting his life because "UNICEF Sweden has 177,000 Likes on Facebook."

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