'Facebook Fairytales' celebrates miracle stories from everyday people

Facebook, the world’s largest social media network with 1.3 billion users (and counting!) has really changed not only our world but the online world as well. It's easy-to-use user interface is a hit among netizens everywhere. Sharing status updates and photos are just a click away (some would say it is as easy as A,B,C).

It is easy to rekindle a lost friend as it is to ‘Unfriend’ a person without having to tell them in person.

Our Timeline may be flooded with random status updates and photos of what our friends are up to.

Critics, however, argue that it is a place for narcissistic behaviours. Who cares what you had for lunch. Who cares if your cat is sick? Who cares about your selfie, too?

A study conducted by University of Michigan last year showed that most college-aged adults who use Facebook do not seem happy.

"When you're on a site like Facebook, you get lots of posts about what people are doing. That sets up social comparison — you maybe feel your life is not as full and rich as those people you see on Facebook," said research co-author John Jonides.

But then again, there are studies that showed quite the opposite results. Some are happy to scroll through the timeline to see what their friends are up to. It’s a way for them to connect to those who are miles apart. Why send snail mails when there’s Facebook?

Love it or hate it, Facebook is more than just a place to post updates and photos. As cheesy as this may sound, good things do happen on Facebook. For some, it’s about finding that unexpected love, the surprise career or connecting with strangers for a good cause.

The book 'Facebook Fairytales: Modern-Day Miracles to Inspire the Human Spirit' by Emily Liebert documents the good that has come out from Facebook. It’s a celebration of the inspirational “happy endings” from everyday people - just like you and me.

Love story

There’s the love story of Sarah Brysk and Michael Cohen. They first met as teenagers in 1990 for their national youth group camp but there was no spark for romance just yet. They eventually parted ways and lived in different cities.

Fifteeen years later, Sarah and Michael lived in New York but they never once crossed path. That’s when they connected again via the summer camp’s Facebook group.

Although Sarah’s several messages were left unanswered by Michael, she decided to try one more time.

They eventually met, fell in love and Michael left this status update on Facebook: “Michael thinks Sarah should say yes”.

She eventually did and he left another status message for the whole family to read: “Michael is pleased to announce that Sarah said yes." It came some 20 years after they first met.

Launching a career

Then there’s the success story of Sarah Haines who moved to the Big Apple with the dream of becoming an actress.

With no high expectations, she was happy to settle with any media-related type of job. She eventually received a job at NBC under the network’s Page Programme, an entry-level position for college graduates. She worked for The Today Show, a top-rated morning show in America.

She decided to create a behind-the-scenes video for the show’s website featuring Chris Brown. When she was told that the website would not use her content, she decided to put it to the NBC’s in-house advertising department and to have the video be posted on The Today Show’s Facebook page.

The video went up and it was the most-watched content. She produced more content for the Facebook page and before long, she was invited to present a segment on the show.

Just as she was about to leave the entertainment industry, she asked her boss if they would hire her as an on-air talent. They did and in 2009, she was promoted to NBC’s full-time talent.

Making a difference

And there’s also the heart-warming story of Amy Eldridge who founded Love Without Borders, a medical programme with the goal of helping children from around the world.

Everything went smoothly until the Love Without Borders website was hacked, making it impossible for donations to be received especially during the holiday season.

As a mother of seven, she didn’t have much time to spend on social networking sites but a Facebook Charity Challenge seemed like a possible solution for her to quickly raise money. She had her doubts as she was competing against the big giants like American Cancer Society and the Red Cross.

With the $50,000 grand prize at stake, she decided to strategize by telling everyone she knew that a simple donation of $10 (the minimum requirement) could help save ten lives.

They eventually won their first daily prize and before long, she enlisted college and high school students to promote her cause on Facebook. Love Without Borders eventually won $50,000, with additions from the $13,000 in daily winnings and money raised in donations.

The organization took home $125,000 altogether! With Facebook, they were able to recruit new members and volunteers from all over the world.

What's your story?

There are many more miracles described in the book. The story about finding an organ donation, a couple looking to adopt, starting a political protest, finding back a lost precious gift, or connecting with a long-lost sister. All these stories have their “happy endings” made possible thanks to Facebook.

It just shows that Facebook, which turned 10 on February 4, could really make a difference. Despite the naysayers saying people are over-sharing and becoming narcissistic, there are also some successes.

Even in your own little corner of the world, you may have your own success story. Maybe you found the love of your life, or your long-lost high school friend. You may found your dream job on this social media platform or even better, you were able to start a business thanks to Facebook.

What’s your Facebook fairytale story? Share it with us here, or on our Facebook page! We’d love to hear how Facebook has impacted your life!