For those infants born on April 15, 2013 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, they will feel a kinship with those born on Sept. 11, 2011; April 19, 1995 (Oklahoma City bombing); and Dec. 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor). I feel for those kids, their date of birth will always be marred by tragedy.
As for those that capitalize on tragedies via social media, it is flat out sad. I would love to say I am a full proponent for "user-generated censorship", but as a broadcaster and writer, I am a free speech advocate.
Despite that, I am grateful that Twitter is in existence for Bostonians. The ability to keep thousands of runners from a horrific scene near the finish line in such a quick fashion would not occur without social media.
On a quick tangent, I read a post on Facebook last night about running being an avenue to escape from the world and focus on yourself. I could not imagine the rude awakening of simultaneous bombs shaking you out of a peaceful run.
When I received the AP news alert message about an explosion at the finish line of the marathon, I immediately went to two places to figure out what was going on: Twitter and Reddit. Most people are familiar with how easy it is to find breaking news info on twitter, but few have used reddit for events like this. I've followed a few major news events (for example, the Aurora shooting and Hurricane Sandy) on reddit and will continue to do so in the future because of one reason: It's a human powered aggregator. For the most part, people who manage these breaking news threads are decently savvy enough to
Like the author of the article, I too knew that there were going to be a few aspects of things I didn't like, such as false accounts profiting from information and people who can't put away their cynicism for a minute to grieve with the rest of the country/world. Most of the fake accounts are filtered out and you get breaking updates from just about every angle. People post their information and as it is determined to be newsworthy (through a crowdsourcing process of sorts), its posted to the main thread. So far, eight threads have been created for the Boston tragedy, with over 200 news updates and photos, information for people affected, how to find loved ones, and even people giving frequent flyer miles to strangers in need of getting to/from Boston. An example of this thread is here: http://www.reddit.com/r/inthenews/comments/1chphe/boston_marathon_explosion_live_update_thread_8/
I honestly don't really go to the news any more for my information on things like this, because I know that I can get more information and formulate a better understanding of whats going on from threads like these than any network coverage can give me. Not only that, but these threads give me hope in humanity during tragedies, seeing people offer housing, flights, meals and rides to anyone in their online community needing help. That goodness is a welcome sight to read about in the middle of such depressing and horrible news.
The Boston Marathon bombing was a tragedy and lives were lost and many people were injured. I don't think that any certain amount of people killed outweighs the significance of another mass murder. It really is amazing how fast word travels with social media today. We knew about the bombings in Boston moments after they happened via Twitter. I think social media is a great tool but some people miss use it. Some people believe that a lot of these bombers are doing it for the attention that they receive after these mass murders happen. They are highly publicized and receive a lot of attention many weeks after they happen.
I am not saying these events shouldn't be publicized. I feel it is important for the American people to stay aware of what is going on. But to what extent should they be talked about? I don't like looking at the news anymore because of how awful everything is. I feel that there is nothing happy reported on anymore. A classmate did an interesting study on if media has a negative bias to it and after her research it does. On a good day three of a papers top ten headlines will be something other than a negative.
I read a quote on the boston marathon tragedy that i really liked by Patton Oswalt, "The good outnumber you, and we always will." I really like this because it is true no matter how many bad people there are it won't even come close to the people that are in this world. To ready his full quote you can find it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patton-oswalt/patton-oswalt_b_3088337.html
Social media makes it possible for news to travel fast, especially with smart phones. I would even venture to say that I, in St. George, probably knew about the boston bombings because of my smart phones faster than people in Mass. who do not have the ball and chain of iPhone push notifications with them all the time. It really is a matter of the good outweighing the bad.
My heart is saddened by the disgusting and distasteful people who would use the tragedy just to get more followers on their twitter or to spread false information. That being said, without the mediums that the tactless people are using to cause harm, I would be ignorant to what is going on on the other side of the country. I love the way that twitter and Facebook keep me in the loop.
To venture away from social media, I actually got first word of the bombing from CNN. I happen to get the CNN news update push notifications so that I can at least hear one sentence about every depressing thing that is going on in our country about 10 times a day. It gives me the ability to see whats up and then do further research if wanted. To be honest it doesn't help CNN much because I NEVER open their actual article. I first see the push notification and then I either go to Twitter, Google, or Facebook to see what people are saying. I have found Twitter to be most helpful because I can just go to trending hashtags or topics and et an inside scoop from those that are actually being effected. Between the official reports that come from CNN updates and what my faceless friends on Twitter are saying, I can usually get a pretty well rounded idea of what really is going on.
I felt that the closing statements of Stempeck's post were very powerful. No one wants to be in the shoes of those suffering in Boston right now and no one plans on being in that position.
I have to agree with Brandon, there were so many conflicting reports and stories about what happened that to put trust in organizations like Fox or CNN was just laughable.
Coverage on the Tea Party and Occupy Wallstreet were both so selectively covered that you never truly got the unfiltered story. The amount of coverage reddit provided after the bombing was simply stunning, you had instant access to real updates versus the CNN & Fox pundits speculating for a full 30 mins before throwing out another "exclusive" title behind what I read a full half hour before.
Couple this with the easy access to scanners online and you had a completely (hate to keep using this lexicon..) unfiltered story of what was happening.
This particular news story didnt garnish much controversy however, the story of Christopher Dorner had a much more 1:0 ratio of coverage.
CNN,FOX and even Reuters refused to address the very real allegations of police corruption in the LAPD both before the civilian shootings of (Insert any truck name/color) and after the scanners recorded "starting fire in room 1" during the final standoff.
CNN in this Boston Bombing instance was announcing "suspect 1 has been found" through John King and his exclusive source. Minutes later when the BPD announced something to the amount of "umm no we dont have anyone now", CNN made sure to slowly backslide on Live tv over the validity of their own source for the next 38 minutes or so, finally ending with "breaking news, it is comfirmed by BPD, they do not have suspect 1, this is why its good that we check our sources."
New York Post had similar issues, posting a headline and picture of two people with the title "bag men"
Oh one thing, these arent the guys. Oh one more thing, New York Post is standing behind their terrible coverage.
Reddit was the fastest and best source for all the news you'd ever need with this story, in one of the links/posts I read what could be the greatest online comment in media history so far...
"Remember this moment people, remember where you were. We are witnessing the death of Televised News coverage right now."
I go to vice for my video features, Rolling Stones for my written stories and reddit for everything else. I just cant remember the last time any news outlet gave me a serious, unfiltered story.
Speaking of social media and agenda setting. When a bomb goes off in Boston killing 3, there's a city wide lockdown with swat, checkpoints and room-to-room, house-to-house inspections.
When there's a triple homicide by gun, theres two detectives and maybe an APB for suspect description in shift-breifing.
When its 12 police officers targeted and a manifesto plus two civilians dead, its a state-wide manhunt.
Im trying to think of the last time the media ever covered a gang related murder....St.Valentines Day Massacre? Oh well, I suppose if its not on video, or if its not the police, its not news.
Thanks CNN, for reminding me whats important. (Don Lemon's ok though, you can tell he's waiting for a real job somewhere)
Media is a place to get news fast. Whether its correct or not.People in America demand they get news NOW. The problem with this is, it leads people to believe one thing when in reality that belief is wrong. People need to gather as much information and get the real facts about what is going on. There are going to be other times where things like this happen, which is sad to say. We need to find reliable sources, and be patient.
Who in their right mind would post something on twitter to help raise money for Boston, and to take the money and run? What has happened to people of this world? Its sad to hear that their our people out their that don't really care. There in it for the publicity, money, and more followers. What happened to people having each others backs?
This bombing effected me a lot because my brother and his wife live in Boston. My sister in law is a runner so why wouldn't they go on and cheer on other runners? When my family and I found out what had happened, I think all of our hearts stopped. Luckily they were okay. It made me think more about what if something would have happened to them? It would have been very difficult to forgive the people who did this. Then I thought the other people who were injured or died had family's and friend's. I wonder what they were thinking. It made me realize how important it is to be there for everyone not just family members. Everyone has tragedies in their lives. We need to stand up and be there for our fellow citizens. No one messes with America.
After reading this guy's post, I asked the question; has this guy BEEN on the Internet? The Internet is filled with shitty people doing shitty things. I know social media can be used as a tool for good, but there is also a fair amount of trolls that use them.
I know what happened in Boston was terrible, but for me I am almost jaded to these 'tragedies.' It seems that every other week, there is some new and horrible event that has shocked our nation. Within the last year we had Aurora, Sandy Hook, and Christopher Dorner just to name a few. I never really read in depth in these events, just enough to get an idea of what's happening because the something new and horrible will happen and the media will drop this past story for the next juicy bit of tragedy.
Also Cory, the media does not really report on gang related events because no one cares. The reason these events get so much coverage is because it is happening to 'decent' people. The last big 'gang related' event I can remember is Tupac Shakur's death with Mexican Cartel killings coming in a close second.
I'm not sure how to respond to this. I started my second technology fast over the weekend so I missed the entire man hunt/shootout/raid. But honestly I don't feel any more behind or up to speed on the story than if I had followed the play by play. Yes social media does change how things get out and the speed at which they get out, but the most accurate version of the story is the one you read a day later.
My version of the story was maybe a couple days late but it was accurate. I was up to speed after reading a couple reports and didn't have to spend hours on a police scanner app speculating and building my own version.
However, for the people in Boston, I can see how this technology is beneficial in keeping people safe and up to speed. In moments like that seconds can count and save lives. For the rest of us though it's almost a waste of time.
I heard the new first on DSU's campus. I heard first through verbal communication and was in shock of what i just witnessed. IT was not until i went to my own cellular device and looked up the different events that had occurred that i was in complete shock. First off Boston has a special place in my heart for several reasons. My best friends Uncle Bruce Hurst pitched for the Boston Red Socks and just four months ago my brother came home from service an LDS mission in the city of Boston Massachusetts. When i went to my Flipboard app and watched the actual footage I was devastated and almost felt as if there was a piece of me that was hurt during that attack.
With the way technology is set up it gives citizens a way to quickly hear news and events by the click of the hand. The great part about this technology is the ability to quickly receive news and be informed on whats happening in society. What I find to be very harmful, especially in the case with Boston, there are too many voices at times. As a receiver I had to asses through various of accounts and cypher through opinions to decided on what i felt what was truth and what was simply opinions by others.
What i find interesting is that those who have a large voice in the media tend to focus on the two brothers who attacked Boston. I would prefer to hear more about the victims and those who's life's were changed by the attack at the Boston Marathon. I personally felt that citizen journalism (though it is sometimes sloppy and wrong sometimes) plays a big role in covering small details that large news organizations don't cover. These small principles play a large role in the power of what media has in the lives of society.
I was sitting in my college apartment when my roommate came in and turned my TV to CNN. I couldn’t believe that another tragedy like the Connecticut school shooting has happened again. It just so happened that I was on Facebook at the same time my roommate came in and it was just starting to blow up with posts and information about the Boston Marathon. At that time I started comparing the two to see if the information was anywhere close to the same. CNN was obviously a more reliable source of information than Facebook. The part that got me was when it first came on CNN, you could see that the road and the sidewalks were covered in red and it looked a lot like blood. Whether it was blood or just debris from the race it really struck me to think of how someone could do this to someone else. I guess growing up in a small town I was sort of sheltered from a lot of hate and acts of violence. It doesn’t make sense to me to how someone could think that it’s ok to do this to a person or a group of people. My heart saddens for those people that had lost someone or those who were injured due to this terrible act of terrorism. Watching the news for the few days after when officials were trying to catch the suspects of doing this was interesting to watch. When they found that second suspect in a back yard hiding out in a boat, I felt almost a sense of relief for those people living in that area. I know that it would be scary to have a terrorist on the run through our back yards. The military and police officials did a wonderful job in protecting the city of Boston the best that they could. My hat is off to them and it makes me feel more comfortable that I live in such a great country.
When I first heard about the bombing, I was sitting in the study room in the Holland and I got a push notification to my phone. Immediately my heart was broken for those people in Boston, and especially for two of my roommates. They are sisters and their aunt was running in the marathon. That almost made it worse, because I then knew someone who was impacted directly by this tragedy. Luckily their aunt was okay, she had crossed the finish line and was out of the way some 20 minutes before the bomb went off. That just gave me a taste of what the people of Boston were going through, but I know that it doesn't even come close to comparison.
It shocked me when I logged onto Twitter and saw the pages going up about the Boston marathon, just as the one displayed in the story. It is horrifying what people will do in light of tragedy, when they disrespect those who were impacted so terribly by it. Luckily, there is some good that can come from the media in light of such a tragedy as well. With social media, I believe the news was spread exponentially more quickly than it would have if this would have happened 20 years ago. It made people aware of what was happening in the city of Boston as well as who the citizens should be on the lookout for.
Social media can become a kind of roller coaster ride because it can be great and detrimental all at the same time. On Twitter, all of this news was breaking about what had happened, who the police were looking for, etc. However, sifting through the true information rather than tainted information is the trick. There are so many people that tweet what they hear first, whether or not it is true. This is where all of the misconception came into play. I think it is important when looking to a social media site for information, that we look at credible sources such as news organizations that are tweeting. Also, we need to look at more than one. Looking at several sources and seeing parallels in a story will make it probably the most reliable. I say probably because it was such a mess to get the facts straight in this case across the news media. Props to NBC News. At least they have got it straight now.
As we have seen, there are pros and cons to social media. It is important to know it's uses and limitations and if using it for a primary source of information, make sure you research to be sure that what you are reading is from a reliable source.
I hate hearing of such horrible things happening but in reality it is human nature sometimes to be violent and cruel.
When I was reading posts on Face Book I noticed that some were very raciest and some were very insensitive about people in America being upset when things like this happen in other countries more often. In a weird way I feel like this is a strange way to cope. It would actually be more productive to personally acknowledge the fact that things like this happen everywhere so we need to be more pro active in finding out what we can do to prevent the things around the globe.
I cant imagine what it would be like to go through something like this or Sandy, Katrina, or Sandy Hook. I only know what it feels like to being a close outsider because of things like 9-11 or Columbine.
So many of these event get coupled with issues that don't really directly relate to the specific story. When the Sandy Hook tragedy happened most posts were specifically about gun control. It seemed that more people were concerned with their own rights as a gun owner then the fact that such an unimaginably event could happen. I was so bugged that this was the focus of the people that I stared posting news stories of gun tragedies thats happened frequently close to home just to show the validity of looking into what may need to happen for a safer country then wether you need to register a gun or take a week long class and have background checks or have to have gun owners insurance. I feel like I myself started to miss the point because some people didn't give as much thought to the point of the matter.
I guess that sometimes I forget that a lot of people only spread information that is closely parallel to their own beliefs. This is why I need to hold myself accountable to the information I spread and to also be proactive and back up my feelings of wanting to help stop things like this everywhere and focus on people with the same desired outcome not fight the battle of changing an opinion. Individual opinions are not the problem to focus on. People are smart and will see when a change is happening for the better and think rationally about the part they play in the problem and solving it.
For those infants born on April 15, 2013 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, they will feel a kinship with those born on Sept. 11, 2011; April 19, 1995 (Oklahoma City bombing); and Dec. 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor). I feel for those kids, their date of birth will always be marred by tragedy.
ReplyDeleteAs for those that capitalize on tragedies via social media, it is flat out sad. I would love to say I am a full proponent for "user-generated censorship", but as a broadcaster and writer, I am a free speech advocate.
Despite that, I am grateful that Twitter is in existence for Bostonians. The ability to keep thousands of runners from a horrific scene near the finish line in such a quick fashion would not occur without social media.
On a quick tangent, I read a post on Facebook last night about running being an avenue to escape from the world and focus on yourself. I could not imagine the rude awakening of simultaneous bombs shaking you out of a peaceful run.
When I received the AP news alert message about an explosion at the finish line of the marathon, I immediately went to two places to figure out what was going on: Twitter and Reddit. Most people are familiar with how easy it is to find breaking news info on twitter, but few have used reddit for events like this. I've followed a few major news events (for example, the Aurora shooting and Hurricane Sandy) on reddit and will continue to do so in the future because of one reason: It's a human powered aggregator. For the most part, people who manage these breaking news threads are decently savvy enough to
ReplyDeleteLike the author of the article, I too knew that there were going to be a few aspects of things I didn't like, such as false accounts profiting from information and people who can't put away their cynicism for a minute to grieve with the rest of the country/world. Most of the fake accounts are filtered out and you get breaking updates from just about every angle. People post their information and as it is determined to be newsworthy (through a crowdsourcing process of sorts), its posted to the main thread. So far, eight threads have been created for the Boston tragedy, with over 200 news updates and photos, information for people affected, how to find loved ones, and even people giving frequent flyer miles to strangers in need of getting to/from Boston. An example of this thread is here:
http://www.reddit.com/r/inthenews/comments/1chphe/boston_marathon_explosion_live_update_thread_8/
I honestly don't really go to the news any more for my information on things like this, because I know that I can get more information and formulate a better understanding of whats going on from threads like these than any network coverage can give me. Not only that, but these threads give me hope in humanity during tragedies, seeing people offer housing, flights, meals and rides to anyone in their online community needing help. That goodness is a welcome sight to read about in the middle of such depressing and horrible news.
The Boston Marathon bombing was a tragedy and lives were lost and many people were injured. I don't think that any certain amount of people killed outweighs the significance of another mass murder. It really is amazing how fast word travels with social media today. We knew about the bombings in Boston moments after they happened via Twitter. I think social media is a great tool but some people miss use it. Some people believe that a lot of these bombers are doing it for the attention that they receive after these mass murders happen. They are highly publicized and receive a lot of attention many weeks after they happen.
ReplyDeleteI am not saying these events shouldn't be publicized. I feel it is important for the American people to stay aware of what is going on. But to what extent should they be talked about? I don't like looking at the news anymore because of how awful everything is. I feel that there is nothing happy reported on anymore. A classmate did an interesting study on if media has a negative bias to it and after her research it does. On a good day three of a papers top ten headlines will be something other than a negative.
I read a quote on the boston marathon tragedy that i really liked by Patton Oswalt, "The good outnumber you, and we always will." I really like this because it is true no matter how many bad people there are it won't even come close to the people that are in this world. To ready his full quote you can find it here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patton-oswalt/patton-oswalt_b_3088337.html
Social media makes it possible for news to travel fast, especially with smart phones. I would even venture to say that I, in St. George, probably knew about the boston bombings because of my smart phones faster than people in Mass. who do not have the ball and chain of iPhone push notifications with them all the time. It really is a matter of the good outweighing the bad.
ReplyDeleteMy heart is saddened by the disgusting and distasteful people who would use the tragedy just to get more followers on their twitter or to spread false information. That being said, without the mediums that the tactless people are using to cause harm, I would be ignorant to what is going on on the other side of the country. I love the way that twitter and Facebook keep me in the loop.
To venture away from social media, I actually got first word of the bombing from CNN. I happen to get the CNN news update push notifications so that I can at least hear one sentence about every depressing thing that is going on in our country about 10 times a day. It gives me the ability to see whats up and then do further research if wanted. To be honest it doesn't help CNN much because I NEVER open their actual article. I first see the push notification and then I either go to Twitter, Google, or Facebook to see what people are saying. I have found Twitter to be most helpful because I can just go to trending hashtags or topics and et an inside scoop from those that are actually being effected. Between the official reports that come from CNN updates and what my faceless friends on Twitter are saying, I can usually get a pretty well rounded idea of what really is going on.
I felt that the closing statements of Stempeck's post were very powerful. No one wants to be in the shoes of those suffering in Boston right now and no one plans on being in that position.
I have to agree with Brandon, there were so many conflicting reports and stories about what happened that to put trust in organizations like Fox or CNN was just laughable.
ReplyDeleteCoverage on the Tea Party and Occupy Wallstreet were both so selectively covered that you never truly got the unfiltered story. The amount of coverage reddit provided after the bombing was simply stunning, you had instant access to real updates versus the CNN & Fox pundits speculating for a full 30 mins before throwing out another "exclusive" title behind what I read a full half hour before.
Couple this with the easy access to scanners online and you had a completely (hate to keep using this lexicon..) unfiltered story of what was happening.
This particular news story didnt garnish much controversy however, the story of Christopher Dorner had a much more 1:0 ratio of coverage.
CNN,FOX and even Reuters refused to address the very real allegations of police corruption in the LAPD both before the civilian shootings of (Insert any truck name/color) and after the scanners recorded "starting fire in room 1" during the final standoff.
CNN in this Boston Bombing instance was announcing "suspect 1 has been found" through John King and his exclusive source. Minutes later when the BPD announced something to the amount of "umm no we dont have anyone now", CNN made sure to slowly backslide on Live tv over the validity of their own source for the next 38 minutes or so, finally ending with "breaking news, it is comfirmed by BPD, they do not have suspect 1, this is why its good that we check our sources."
New York Post had similar issues, posting a headline and picture of two people with the title "bag men"
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1093643/thumbs/o-NEW-YORK-POST-570.jpg?6
Oh one thing, these arent the guys. Oh one more thing, New York Post is standing behind their terrible coverage.
Reddit was the fastest and best source for all the news you'd ever need with this story, in one of the links/posts I read what could be the greatest online comment in media history so far...
"Remember this moment people, remember where you were. We are witnessing the death of Televised News coverage right now."
I go to vice for my video features, Rolling Stones for my written stories and reddit for everything else. I just cant remember the last time any news outlet gave me a serious, unfiltered story.
Speaking of social media and agenda setting. When a bomb goes off in Boston killing 3, there's a city wide lockdown with swat, checkpoints and room-to-room, house-to-house inspections.
When there's a triple homicide by gun, theres two detectives and maybe an APB for suspect description in shift-breifing.
When its 12 police officers targeted and a manifesto plus two civilians dead, its a state-wide manhunt.
Im trying to think of the last time the media ever covered a gang related murder....St.Valentines Day Massacre? Oh well, I suppose if its not on video, or if its not the police, its not news.
Thanks CNN, for reminding me whats important. (Don Lemon's ok though, you can tell he's waiting for a real job somewhere)
Media is a place to get news fast. Whether its correct or not.People in America demand they get news NOW. The problem with this is, it leads people to believe one thing when in reality that belief is wrong. People need to gather as much information and get the real facts about what is going on. There are going to be other times where things like this happen, which is sad to say. We need to find reliable sources, and be patient.
ReplyDeleteWho in their right mind would post something on twitter to help raise money for Boston, and to take the money and run? What has happened to people of this world? Its sad to hear that their our people out their that don't really care. There in it for the publicity, money, and more followers. What happened to people having each others backs?
This bombing effected me a lot because my brother and his wife live in Boston. My sister in law is a runner so why wouldn't they go on and cheer on other runners? When my family and I found out what had happened, I think all of our hearts stopped. Luckily they were okay. It made me think more about what if something would have happened to them? It would have been very difficult to forgive the people who did this. Then I thought the other people who were injured or died had family's and friend's. I wonder what they were thinking. It made me realize how important it is to be there for everyone not just family members. Everyone has tragedies in their lives. We need to stand up and be there for our fellow citizens. No one messes with America.
After reading this guy's post, I asked the question; has this guy BEEN on the Internet? The Internet is filled with shitty people doing shitty things. I know social media can be used as a tool for good, but there is also a fair amount of trolls that use them.
ReplyDeleteI know what happened in Boston was terrible, but for me I am almost jaded to these 'tragedies.' It seems that every other week, there is some new and horrible event that has shocked our nation. Within the last year we had Aurora, Sandy Hook, and Christopher Dorner just to name a few. I never really read in depth in these events, just enough to get an idea of what's happening because the something new and horrible will happen and the media will drop this past story for the next juicy bit of tragedy.
Also Cory, the media does not really report on gang related events because no one cares. The reason these events get so much coverage is because it is happening to 'decent' people. The last big 'gang related' event I can remember is Tupac Shakur's death with Mexican Cartel killings coming in a close second.
I'm not sure how to respond to this. I started my second technology fast over the weekend so I missed the entire man hunt/shootout/raid. But honestly I don't feel any more behind or up to speed on the story than if I had followed the play by play. Yes social media does change how things get out and the speed at which they get out, but the most accurate version of the story is the one you read a day later.
ReplyDeleteMy version of the story was maybe a couple days late but it was accurate. I was up to speed after reading a couple reports and didn't have to spend hours on a police scanner app speculating and building my own version.
However, for the people in Boston, I can see how this technology is beneficial in keeping people safe and up to speed. In moments like that seconds can count and save lives. For the rest of us though it's almost a waste of time.
I heard the new first on DSU's campus. I heard first through verbal communication and was in shock of what i just witnessed. IT was not until i went to my own cellular device and looked up the different events that had occurred that i was in complete shock. First off Boston has a special place in my heart for several reasons. My best friends Uncle Bruce Hurst pitched for the Boston Red Socks and just four months ago my brother came home from service an LDS mission in the city of Boston Massachusetts. When i went to my Flipboard app and watched the actual footage I was devastated and almost felt as if there was a piece of me that was hurt during that attack.
ReplyDeleteWith the way technology is set up it gives citizens a way to quickly hear news and events by the click of the hand. The great part about this technology is the ability to quickly receive news and be informed on whats happening in society. What I find to be very harmful, especially in the case with Boston, there are too many voices at times. As a receiver I had to asses through various of accounts and cypher through opinions to decided on what i felt what was truth and what was simply opinions by others.
What i find interesting is that those who have a large voice in the media tend to focus on the two brothers who attacked Boston. I would prefer to hear more about the victims and those who's life's were changed by the attack at the Boston Marathon. I personally felt that citizen journalism (though it is sometimes sloppy and wrong sometimes) plays a big role in covering small details that large news organizations don't cover. These small principles play a large role in the power of what media has in the lives of society.
I was sitting in my college apartment when my roommate came in and turned my TV to CNN. I couldn’t believe that another tragedy like the Connecticut school shooting has happened again. It just so happened that I was on Facebook at the same time my roommate came in and it was just starting to blow up with posts and information about the Boston Marathon. At that time I started comparing the two to see if the information was anywhere close to the same. CNN was obviously a more reliable source of information than Facebook.
ReplyDeleteThe part that got me was when it first came on CNN, you could see that the road and the sidewalks were covered in red and it looked a lot like blood. Whether it was blood or just debris from the race it really struck me to think of how someone could do this to someone else. I guess growing up in a small town I was sort of sheltered from a lot of hate and acts of violence. It doesn’t make sense to me to how someone could think that it’s ok to do this to a person or a group of people. My heart saddens for those people that had lost someone or those who were injured due to this terrible act of terrorism.
Watching the news for the few days after when officials were trying to catch the suspects of doing this was interesting to watch. When they found that second suspect in a back yard hiding out in a boat, I felt almost a sense of relief for those people living in that area. I know that it would be scary to have a terrorist on the run through our back yards. The military and police officials did a wonderful job in protecting the city of Boston the best that they could. My hat is off to them and it makes me feel more comfortable that I live in such a great country.
When I first heard about the bombing, I was sitting in the study room in the Holland and I got a push notification to my phone. Immediately my heart was broken for those people in Boston, and especially for two of my roommates. They are sisters and their aunt was running in the marathon. That almost made it worse, because I then knew someone who was impacted directly by this tragedy. Luckily their aunt was okay, she had crossed the finish line and was out of the way some 20 minutes before the bomb went off. That just gave me a taste of what the people of Boston were going through, but I know that it doesn't even come close to comparison.
ReplyDeleteIt shocked me when I logged onto Twitter and saw the pages going up about the Boston marathon, just as the one displayed in the story. It is horrifying what people will do in light of tragedy, when they disrespect those who were impacted so terribly by it. Luckily, there is some good that can come from the media in light of such a tragedy as well. With social media, I believe the news was spread exponentially more quickly than it would have if this would have happened 20 years ago. It made people aware of what was happening in the city of Boston as well as who the citizens should be on the lookout for.
Social media can become a kind of roller coaster ride because it can be great and detrimental all at the same time. On Twitter, all of this news was breaking about what had happened, who the police were looking for, etc. However, sifting through the true information rather than tainted information is the trick. There are so many people that tweet what they hear first, whether or not it is true. This is where all of the misconception came into play. I think it is important when looking to a social media site for information, that we look at credible sources such as news organizations that are tweeting. Also, we need to look at more than one. Looking at several sources and seeing parallels in a story will make it probably the most reliable. I say probably because it was such a mess to get the facts straight in this case across the news media. Props to NBC News. At least they have got it straight now.
As we have seen, there are pros and cons to social media. It is important to know it's uses and limitations and if using it for a primary source of information, make sure you research to be sure that what you are reading is from a reliable source.
I hate hearing of such horrible things happening but in reality it is human nature sometimes to be violent and cruel.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading posts on Face Book I noticed that some were very raciest and some were very insensitive about people in America being upset when things like this happen in other countries more often. In a weird way I feel like this is a strange way to cope. It would actually be more productive to personally acknowledge the fact that things like this happen everywhere so we need to be more pro active in finding out what we can do to prevent the things around the globe.
I cant imagine what it would be like to go through something like this or Sandy, Katrina, or Sandy Hook. I only know what it feels like to being a close outsider because of things like 9-11 or Columbine.
So many of these event get coupled with issues that don't really directly relate to the specific story. When the Sandy Hook tragedy happened most posts were specifically about gun control. It seemed that more people were concerned with their own rights as a gun owner then the fact that such an unimaginably event could happen. I was so bugged that this was the focus of the people that I stared posting news stories of gun tragedies thats happened frequently close to home just to show the validity of looking into what may need to happen for a safer country then wether you need to register a gun or take a week long class and have background checks or have to have gun owners insurance. I feel like I myself started to miss the point because some people didn't give as much thought to the point of the matter.
I guess that sometimes I forget that a lot of people only spread information that is closely parallel to their own beliefs. This is why I need to hold myself accountable to the information I spread and to also be proactive and back up my feelings of wanting to help stop things like this everywhere and focus on people with the same desired outcome not fight the battle of changing an opinion. Individual opinions are not the problem to focus on. People are smart and will see when a change is happening for the better and think rationally about the part they play in the problem and solving it.