Money to lend, girls stuck in storm drain

For all the value that online social media brings to our lives, I can find plenty of things to rant and rave about. For instance, a recent story that appeared on Mashable about two young girls in Adelaide, Australia were stuck in a storm drain. Doesn’t sound like an online social media story, does it?

But here’s the kicker: the 10- and 12-year-old girls were down there with Internet-enabled smart phones. What did they do with these smart phones? Rather than call for help or emergency assistance, they updated their Facebook status! If you believe that’s a great idea, I have money to lend you.

Why didn’t they call 000? That’s the Australian equivalent of 911. The reason is not entirely clear, although there is speculation that while the girls were missing, they did not feel “lost” or “trapped.” If they were indeed lost, which is what authorities report, then both girls are old enough to have known better.

It seems likely that if they were able to connect to wi-fi or their carrier’s network (and who doesn’t look for money to lend when those bills come in the mail?), they could have made a phone call. I’m sure there’s more to this story than what I’m reading here unmatchable, but I still think it underscores a communication breakdown that we see more and more with people who spent their formative years connecting with others via technology more often than through direct contact.

The authorities who “rescued” the girls from the drain on Honeypot Road set of plain and simple, this method of alerting others to the problem slowed down the rescue process.

This isn’t the first time in recent memory that something like this has happened. A man in Atlanta, Georgia was calling for emergency medical assistance, but his cell phone battery was clearly going to go dead before a 911 call connected. So he Tweeted his emergency call and fellow Twitter users picked up on it.

That’s a situation where online social media works for the public good, and apparently this man would have made a standard phone call to 911 if it had been possible. But choosing a Facebook update over making a phone call if you have the option to do so and you are in an emergency situation? It’s hardly the ideal way to deal with a serious situation.

People become so dependent upon their online social networks that, in some situations, their use becomes inappropriate when compared with good old-fashioned methods. If you’re looking for money to lend, check out websites like PersonalMoneyStore.com. If you’re in a dire emergency, call the authorities.