Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 28: While Nepal and its adjoining areas in India are grappling with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, social networking sites, particularly Facebook, have come as a boon for many whose loved ones were stuck in the affected areas.
Facebook has come up with an option for its users to mark themselves ‘safe’ for their friends and family to know. This came in handy for several users who found it difficult to get a phone call through to their loved ones because of jammed networks.
“I have friends living in Bihar, close to the Nepal border. Several people were reportedly killed on the Indian side of the border due to the earthquake, and I was relieved to see most of my friends marking themselves ‘safe’ as I was unable to call them on their phones as mobile networks were jammed,” said Jyotika Sahoo, a second year B Tech student of ITER College.
Like Jyotika, several others are keeping a tab on their friends to check on their safety.
“Nepal is a popular tourist destination for a lot of Indians, and this being peak tourist season, a lot of people are visiting Nepal at this very time. There is a possibility that some of your friends might unfortunately be stuck in Nepal at this time. So it is important to know that they are safe,” said Samir Pattnaik, a third year IT student from IIIT.
The social networking giant is also requesting its users to donate money for the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Nepal. “I got a pop-up notification on Facebook requesting me to donate money for relief operations in Nepal. I donated whatever money I could,” said Abhipsa Mohanty, a lecturer at a city college.
However, some people on Facebook are seen taking their IQ to new lows, said Ranvir Mohapatra, a budding fashion photographer in the city.
“The ‘marked safe’ notification is for people stuck in the affected areas where the magnitude of the earthquake was severe. I see some of my friends who are sitting pretty in their homes in the city marking themselves safe. It is ridiculously amusing to see them make such fools of themselves,” Mohapatra said.
