Celebrity Role in Sarpol-e Zahab Earthquake in Iran 2017

Abstract

which led to more than 483 deaths (237 men and 246 women) and approximately 10,000 injuries. About 70,000 people were homeless, and some villages were completely destroyed (Figure 1). Celebrities played a significant role in helping the people of Sarpol-e Zahab, an Iranian city that was hit particularly hard. They established various campaigns for collecting supplies and cash donations for the victims, collaborated with Red Cross Red Crescent centers and other relief agencies for support, and offered their sympathy to the people and victims of Sarpol-e Zahab. This tremendous support and response motivated others to join in their efforts to raise money for the victims by sponsoring charity concerts, performing plays and activities for children, as well as holding an artwork auction.

Saving Lives and Changing Minds with Twitter in Disasters and Pandemics: A Literature Review

“…Twitter can be used to share information with the general public around the situation on roads, as well as about flooding, landslides, relief and rescue operations, missing people and risk alerts (Kankanamge et al 2020). One of the most effective ways to disseminate important information in emergencies is identifying influencers on Twitter (Heidari et al 2018;Yang et al 2019). This can help official information to be retweeted faster and to reach more people.…”

“Celebrities to lean on!” Perceived celebrity support across two cultures—Iran and the United States

“…Celebrity engagement with humanitarian and charity issues (see Jeffreys & Allatson, 2015) helps to bolster the impression that celebrities are caring and supportive. Celebrity fundraising and collaboration with relief agencies following catastrophes have been elevated in recent years (e.g., Heidari et al, 2019). Celebrity philanthropy is known to increase community philanthropic contributions (the celebrity‐lift hypothesis; Harris & Ruth, 2015; Peterson et al, 2018), perhaps by activating the norm that charitable giving is the right thing to do (Lindenberg et al, 2011).…”