We all know the tragedy that Japan experienced and is actually still experiencing because of the threat of the nuclear meltdown. These are horrible events that I hope very few people will ever have to go through. There has been chaos in Tokyo and surrounding areas because people has no way to get anywhere. All forms of transportation were at a stand still because of the large amounts of destruction. The phone lines were also down and there were and probably still are very few ways of reaching loved ones that are not accounted for. One picture on a news station showed hundreds of people waiting in line for a single working pay phone in hopes of making contact with someone they know. I cannot even being to imagine Americans standing in line as calmly as they were during such an event.
An episode of Dateline was focused on the tragedy and the ways people were trying to cope what had happened. Most people's main concerns were with tracking down the people they loved that were not accounted for and who's names had not shown up on any of the numerous lists being posted of those were either deceased or in another shelter. One way that people were trying to bridge the communication gap wherever they were was by using Facebook and Twitter. There were numerous individuals that were making status updates about where they were and making Tweets as to their location as well. This helped to solve some questions for those looking for answers about friends and family.
I thought that this was very interesting that Dateline took the time to highlight the fact that people were making a very strong effort to find people using these sights, the reporter even stated that since she had no means of transportation that she had been using social media sites for updates and story lines to use in her reports. This is just one example as to the staying power of social media sites. People are even thinking about them and updating them during times of disasters. I find this pretty amazing!
I heard something like that too. We notice that social media is used in all the moments even the ones we could not think about. I have two friends over there and the first thing I did when I heard what happened in Japan, was check their Facebook status to see if they posted something. Social media helped me to calm down, showed me that my friends were alive and feeling good. For the people over there, social media helped them to keep track of their friends, trying to gather in the same safe place and still able to communicate with the others outside and inside the country.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea social media grabbing onto current issues occuring around the world. The disaster in Japan is a crisis that we should be informed of, and social media is the main source line that people are looking at. Social media generates revenue through advertising, and its a good idea for these sites to also give back monetary funds and aid in disaster relief.
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect example of how diverse social media can be. This also ties in with major events that happen and how they are discussed on these sites. I wouldn't even need a television to watch the Superbowl or find out if the bachelor chose Emily or Shantel, because I could just as easily follow everyone's updates on Facebook and Twitter.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how informative a personal social networking site can be to both the consumer, businessnes, countries, and even our world as a whole.