The time comes every week when I have to blog about something I find related to public relations. I normally find great articles on PR Daily. Today was nothing different. There was an article entitled "Candid picture of NYC police officer goes viral on Facebook." I thought that this article was so appropriate for this time of year. Christmas is just around the corner, and everyone is getting in the giving spirit. The article was about an officer in NYC that was photographed giving a pair of boots and socks to a homeless person.
If that isn't an act of selflessness, I don't know what is. A woman from Arizona visiting New York took the photo of the officer. Several weeks later she shared the photo with the NYPD and included a note.
She wrote:
"The officer said, 'I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let's put them on and take care of you.' The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man. The officer expected nothing in return and did not know I was watching. I have been in law enforcement for 17 years. I was never so impressed in my life."
This picture was posted to Facebook, and in a few days, there had been more than 500,000 likes, nearly 187,000 shares, and tens of thousands of comments. The story has also been featured in publications like The New York Times and USA Today. Social media is the reason why this picture and this heart warming story have gone viral.
I think that this is what social media should be used for. Lately, social media has been used to launch stupid YouTube videos and careers of music artist that only care about themselves. Police officers devote their lives to society and get little thanks. I'm so glad that this man's act of kindness was recognized and shared with millions of people.
Until next time,
Katie
I love this. This is so meaningful and gives hope to me that humanity and selflessness is not lost. This story gave me chills. It is so refreshing to see people still doing good things in the world. Thanks for sharing this amazing story Katie!
ReplyDeleteAw, I just saw this on the news a few days ago. I agree that social media (and the media in general) can definitely be used for feel-good content. It's a shame that bad news/conflict is what sells. But this picture going viral is so refreshing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great picture! Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to see it yet. But this really is what social media should be promoting. It's nice to see some positive things once in a while.
ReplyDelete