The wildfires in Maui are blamed for more than 100 deaths, destroying countless homes and businesses on the island. Maui is an extremely popular vacation destination during the summer months, so the fires have also had a profound effect on the area’s tourism-based economy.
All of this has led to a wave of social media responses, some of them from celebrities who call Maui home – and it’s led to mixed messages about what’s happening on the island now.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga wrote about the social media response to the Maui wildfires for Level and joined the Standard to share what he’s been seeing online.
Highlights from this segment:
– There’s been a strong backlash against celebrities – including Paris Hilton, Stevie Nicks and Kourtney Kardashian – and non-celebrities alike for insensitive posts, including vacation photos.
– Social media has been a place for mobilization of aid following miscommunication and mixed messages from local government.
– Even before the wildfires, there had been a movement to scale back on tourism that was creating havoc on the environment.
Find more information here on how you can help victims of the Hawaii wildfires.
