Social media has proven itself to be a way to rally people to a cause.

It was part of uprisings in the Middle East. It has been instrumental in civil rights protests. It helps raise money for people in the wake of tragedies as big as weather disasters and as personal as cancer diagnoses.

And now, people are calling attention to something that might seem small: potholes.

The roads and parking lots surrounding the Pittsburgh Mills shopping complex in Frazer aren’t smooth-riding. They are asphalt that is pitted with holes. These aren’t small divots that make for a bump along the way. They are significant ruts that do more than make shopping a challenge.

Springdale resident Kyleigh McGregor took to Facebook to see if other people were as frustrated as she was with the situation. They were.

On the group Pittsburgh Mills Mess, she began documenting the potholes, sharing pictures and videos. She started Wednesday. By 3 p.m. Friday, there were more than 1,000 members.

Those people are sharing their stories and evidence, too, showing damaged vehicles and flattened tires. They post the numbers and online links to try and get help. They brainstorm strategies to get someone to fix the roads.

It isn’t that the local government needs to be made aware. Frazer leaders know. They filed a $4.5 million lawsuit against the property owner, Namdar Realty Group, in September. The hazardous conditions are due to neglect, the township says.

State Rep. Mandy Steele’s office gets multiple calls every day asking for something to be done.

“We’ve been pushing for action for a solid year, and I do not feel like a quick patch job is sufficient,” Steele said. “The roads need extensive repair. I worry someone will be hurt in an accident.”

On the Facebook group, people say they avoid the Mills area because of the risks. A trip to a near-empty mall is not worth hundreds of dollars in ruined tires or broken axles.

But while Namdar has seemed content to let the Mills deteriorate and become a ghost town like many of its other properties, does it have the right to let that neglect extend outside, where the community and other businesses are impacted?

Facebook group members say no and advocate for letting the surrounding retailers — and their corporate offices — know how badly the condition of the roads is affecting shoppers’ ability to visit these non-Namdar stores.

That’s a smart use of social media. It allows people to clear out the rubble of the problem and fill in with possible solutions, building toward a smooth, workable finished product.

And all of that is easier to navigate than the Pittsburgh Mills parking lot.

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