PUBLISHED ONDecember 01, 2025 8:19 AMBYSean LerSocial media can sometimes be a toxic environment with cyberbullies and trolls making use of the anonymity to sow hatred.
But it is also amply capable of doing good when users rally around a good cause.
At 1.16am on Sunday (Nov 30), Ling Yeung took to her social media pages on Facebook and Threads to share her grief and longing for her husband and daughter who were among the 146 people who perished in Hong Kong's deadliest fire in a century.
Calling them the "most precious persons" in her life, a grieving Yeung said in a Threads post that she could not find a single photo with all three of them in it.
"I can't sleep at night. I long to hug the both of you again.
"My husband, I have no one to rely on anymore. Thank you for giving me a carefree life for twenty years. I will always love you.
"No matter where I go now, I feel unbearable torment. Images of our family together keep flashing before my eyes. It's a pity that many of the most precious photos were at home and can never be found again," Yeung said in her post.
Sensing her despair, social media users rallied through the night, using artificial intelligence to help Yeung recreate family photos and short clips based on the pictures she shared on Facebook and Threads.
Social media users also left words of encouragement for Leung, asking her to be brave and to take care of herself.
Leung's post has received 1.3 million views at the time of this article's publication.
The Nov 26 inferno has claimed 146 lives so far. Another 40 people are still missing while about 100 cases are categorised as "unresolvable" by authorities.
The Hong Kong government's support fund for victims has raised HK$1.1 billion (S$182.9 million) to assist affected residents.
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