Twitter was one of the largest go-to sources of the most recent updates by city officials, public transit authorities, and news outlets on top of the average tweeter sending in their perspectives of what was happening in their neighborhoods. The site also set up its own #Sandy hashtag page for news relating to the event, complete with top tweets of the most shared news links and photos. Twitter users were also able to search hyperlocal tags to check out what was happening in their neighborhood, such as #ConeyIsland, to see how the historic area managed on Brooklyn’s southern coast.
Some companies also used Twitter to clarify rumors that virally spread over the Web. Take for example Con Edison, who took to its official account to shoot down false information about workers trapped in a building post-explosion at its 14th street power plant. New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) also used Twitter to update commuters with damage notices to certain train stations, and estimate when services may be restored.
Surges of tweets relating to Sandy spiked between 7 to 11 p.m. eastern time, right around when the hurricane made landfall in the tri-state area. Although Twitter feeds were flooded with Sandy-related tweets, more fake rumors and pictures were also being virally shared. In particular, a photo of the Statue of Liberty with an ominous cloud swirling behind her was one of the more infamous shares, while plenty other users who spotted the photo were quick to note that the picture looked way too Photoshopped to be real. That’s the thing about Twitter; as easy as it is for someone to spread false information, it’s just as easy for thousands to call them out for it. Also, if you see any photos of sharks in the flood water, you can be absolutely sure those photos are, in fact, fake.
Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/hurricane-sandy-by-social-media-numbers/#ixzz2KzeIkquF
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