The disaster in Japan gave a different use to social media. The concept similar to that of an illness narrative unfolded on the web. The internet “spawned creativity & innovation online amid a collective desire to ease suffering.” After the earthquake, tsunami & nuclear crisis during March, the people of Japan were able to use the internet mainly Twitter, to receive up to date real time information. As the earthquake & tsunami unfolded, the people of Japan were able to connect to Twitter to find their loved ones. Between March 7 to 13 the site grew by a third to 7.5 million users. Even one of the cities in Japan, Mitaka which is west of Tokyo, created a twitter.
Those directly affected by the disaster weren’t the only ones who used social media to connect. Many people became volunteers who used their blogs, Facebook & twitter to attempt to heal or at least comfort those suffering. A teacher living just outside of Tokyo created “Quakebook.” Quakebook is a collection of reflection, essays & images from various bloggers. IT plans to become a digital publication that will be sold. The proceeds of the publication will go to the Japanese Red Cross.
“World’s 1000 messages for Japan,” is another project that involves contributions from social media users. It consists of a collection of emailed notes & notes from Facebook users which then get posted to Twitter.
Social Media has used the Internet as a place to connect with people, share stories, give hope and volunteer time. It’s amazing that from countries & miles away we can all join in and let those suffering know they are not alone but rather there is someone here to lend a hand & do what they can.
Twitter is a good way to find out new information but it can sometimes be a source for inaccurate and unneeded information. The information found out through twitter can usually be reliable but these sources should never be trusted entirely. Even though information may be coming on a minute to minute basis, this information is still coming from non-credible sources. Also in the event of a natural disaster or some big event the real information usually gets over shadowed by words of condolence or random mentions. When big events happen like this someone would have to scroll through thousands of mentions that don’t have much information but are simply stating that their thoughts are with those in need. I’m not saying that this isn’t a great use for social media but when it comes to obtaining news I think that we should stick to the news stations. Twitter has given a voice to people which is a great thing, but that also leaves a lot of room for error and bias when dealing with real situations.
Very true, the good behind social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter are how people can come together at a time of crises. People can become well informed when a disaster hits or even when the best things in life happen. Good and bad information gets circulated quicker with the use of social media. This has been the only positive outcome of the many social media outlets that have been created. Giving people the chance to connect half way across the world and not miss a thing happening to a friend or a loved one. I also can’t believe how quickly pages are created in the time of a disaster to help raise funds for victims. These pages that are created show support and remind the victims that they are not alone. It’s a place where they can vent without criticism and find common ground with others around the world.
I agree with the previous comment of how people think just because something has been said on Twitter or Facebook, by many people, that it can be trusted information. There are credible sources out there that can inform the public, better yet the world, on what really is going on, especially when a disaster hits. These social media sites are good for discussing current events and maybe informing each other of new information as it comes out. I for one have witnessed people say they found out things via Facebook because they think almost everything on there is fact and I just roll my eyes to this.