Every time someone posts about donating to a relief drive, joining a coastal cleanup, or spending a weekend teaching children, there are bound to be people who question why it needs to be shared at all. Some will say that good deeds are better done quietly, while others will wonder whether the person is simply looking for likes or attention.
It’s a discussion that has been around for years, and chances are, we’ve all found ourselves on one side of it.
But maybe we’re asking the wrong question.
Instead of asking whether good deeds should be posted online, perhaps we should ask what those posts can do once they are out there. Can they encourage someone else to donate, volunteer, share a cause or simply pay a little more attention to what is happening around them?
Social media has become a remarkably effective way for Filipinos to rally people around a cause. A single post can help fill a blood donation drive, raise funds for a family in need, or bring volunteers to a community activity. School organizations use social media to encourage classmates to join outreach programs. Community groups rely on it to gather donations after typhoons. When a family loses a home, a community needs help or a local group is looking for volunteers, a post can travel much faster than a poster ever could.
Sometimes, that reach is exactly what a good deed needs.
Of course, there are times when sharing crosses the line. When the focus shifts from the cause to the person behind the camera, or when those receiving help lose their dignity in exchange for content, it’s worth taking a step back. Doing good should never come at someone else’s expense.
But it can be unfair to assume that every person who shares an act of kindness is looking for praise. There are people who post because they want others to know where they can donate. There are organizations that document their activities because donors and volunteers deserve to know where their support goes. And there are ordinary Filipinos who simply want to tell their friends, “We’re doing this. You can join us, too.”
Perhaps the value of a post should be judged less by who uploaded it and more by what it encourages people to do.
After all, people rarely question a vacation photo because it might inspire someone to travel. We don’t question a food photo because it makes someone want to try a new restaurant. Social media influences plenty of the things we do every day, so there is no reason it cannot also influence us to give, volunteer, participate or look out for someone who needs help.
A post about a donation drive might lead someone to contribute ₱100. A photo from a cleanup might convince a friend to sign up for the next one. A volunteer sharing what they did might remind someone that helping out does not always require a lot of money or free time. Sometimes, seeing another person make room for others is enough to make us consider doing the same.
That is perhaps the best reason to share a good deed: not to collect applause, but to make it easier for someone else to take part.
So the next time you see someone posting about a volunteer activity, a donation campaign or a community effort, maybe we can give the post the benefit of the doubt before questioning the motive behind it. Look at what it is asking people to do, who it might reach and whether that reach could help the cause.
If one post encourages ten more people to show up, then its value goes well beyond the number of likes it receives.
The good deed may have started with one person, but there is nothing wrong with letting the story travel a little further.
