Is Facebook Dead? A Personal Perspective…

Just after lunch on Thursday, December 30th, an eerie orange sunlight came pouring into our kitchen window. I told my husband, “That’s weird, what do you think is going on? Maybe a fire?” My initial thought was to check our neighborhood Facebook Group. If there was a fire nearby, someone would know and would probably have posted about it. When I looked in our neighborhood Group, this was the first post I read:

“All. Fire. Dog Tag is right there with 30 dogs and I am hearing they will not let them evacuate the animals. We need all hands down there to help please. Please. My dogs were just dropped off. Please someone help. Please.”

My heart sank. Dog Tag is a popular local dog boarding facility. I felt the panic and desperation in the comments. I told my husband we need to get in the truck right away and get down there to help save the dogs. We grabbed the car keys and dashed to the garage. This was the scene about halfway from our house to the dog boarding facility: 

We stopped at this major intersection and saw small fires everywhere. Ironically, the police and fire station also had little fires starting adjacent to their facilities on that corner. The wind was howling at 100 miles per hour. The sky had grown dark and embers and debris were flying through the air.

It looked like a scene out of an apocalypse movie. We couldn’t drive any further. It was clear the fire was headed in the direction of our neighborhood…

Fast forward to our arrival back at home. By this time, our neighbors texted us that they were evacuating. We evacuated too. 

Gratefully we were able to return to our home the next day, still standing, safe. 1,000 homes were lost in the Historic Marshall Fire, affecting Superior and my city, Louisville. All the dogs at the Dog Tag boarding facility were rescued. Tragically, many beloved dogs, cats, and other pets that were in their homes perished. 

This brings me to the title of this blog, “Is Facebook dead?”

Working in social media, this is a question I hear on occasion. I’m here to tell you, Facebook is NOT dead. Facebook is very much alive, both vital and invaluable. Many residents in the impacted areas never received an evacuation notice. In fact, many residents first heard about the fire via Facebook, including myself.

Facebook is responsible for saving countless lives that day.

Coincidentally, my connection to dentistry and love for animals aligns with a remarkable 20-year-old oral surgery assistant named Stefanee Whitney. Stefanee also happened to notice a call for help via Facebook. She and her boyfriend were nothing short of heroic in saving a pair of beloved horses. Read their story in the Washington Post.

During the Historic Marshall Fire, Facebook became our lifeline for updates, as did Twitter. After the fire, Facebook became our source of information from public officials. Facebook Lives hosted the Office of Emergency Management updates as well as updates from police, fire, and city officials. 

Our neighborhood Facebook Group continues to be a source of communication, connection, and comfort.

Donations were called for and raised in the Group, and neighbors connected with neighbors to provide crucial support, meals, words of encouragement, and to share valuable resources. 

For those of us who have experienced natural disasters, or other life-altering events that require efficient and effective communication at scale, we get it. We understand the value of connection—and for that, Facebook (or should we say Meta), thank you.