Stories sell on social media

If there were ever any doubt that telling stories can help build communities, markets, and supporters, here is an article that makes it clear. This is a very sad story of a girl suddenly dying of a mysterious disease, played out fully on Twitter. Beyond the obvious tragedy, what I find compelling here is that this story spread so quickly, to places that no one could ever predict at the outset.

Stories–even 140 character ones–reach into people and have them respond and remember. If the story had been framed in white counts and viral loads, it might have had some people respond. But, as the human story it was, it pulls at all of our heart strings and connects the readers to each other and to the source of the story.

I feel deeply for these poor parents and continue to be awed at the power that simple stories have to move people and reach into our souls.