Now the campaign #UniteForSyria has taken off on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube -- backed by celebrities and citizens worldwide. Its goal: to draw attention to the bloody protests that have been taking place in the country and urge an end to the fighting.
Some of the notable names supporting the #UniteForSyria campaign include Susan Sarandon, Stephen Fry, Nelly Furtado and Sir Patrick Stewart, all of whom have announced their support for Syria on social media, such as through tweets or Facebook posts.
According to Philippe Bolopion, the United Nations director at Human Rights Watch in New York, the campaign's aim is to attract attention to the atrocities in Syria and stalemate at the United Nations. The hope is that this will especially put pressure on the Syrian government and its ally, Russia.
A coalition of 200 NGOs from 27 different countries, including the Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights, is spearheading the campaign. It calls for Russia and China to back the UN Security Council so it can pass a resolution formally condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose government responded with force when Syrians first started protesting.
Follow the #UniteForSyria campaign in our Storify below. And let us know in the comments: do you think this kind of social media campaign can be effective?
[View the story "UniteForSyria Campaign Spreads on Social Media" on Storify]