July 03, 2005
Over 26 million text messages sent backing Live 8
Originally posted by Regine from Smart Mobs, reBlogged by ts
More than 26.4 million people from around the world sent SMS yesterday in support of the Live 8 campaign to cancel the debts of the poorest countries, setting a world record, reports The New Zealand Herald.
The previous record for the most text messages sent on a single day for a single event was around 5.8 million for an episode of “American Idol” where viewers vote for the winner.
“I think it would be fair to say we’re getting texts messages from people from Albania to Zimbabwe,” said Ralph Simon, coordinator of the SMS campaign in Philadelphia, adding that lines would be open until the end of July. Western Europe probably accounted for the most messages. “This shows how you can make an imprint with your thumb which becomes your voice which becomes a call to end world poverty,” he said.
