by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 17:48
This morning I was in a cab on my way to the airport when I decided to quickly scroll through my email and Twitter feed to see what I might miss while on the five hour flight from DC back to San Francisco. It was very rainy this morning when my plane took off -- nothing like the September 11, that I remember while working on Capitol Hill back in 2001. The sun was beaming off of the Capitol dome and the clear blue skies created a surreal feeling as smoke from the Pentagon billowed in the distance.
But, there was something else that was very different about today – and it was the way that people were able to express themselves and seamlessly connect with one another to share their thoughts and reflections using social media. The first tweet I came across this morning was from Jeff Pulver who said, “wonder what 9/11 would have been like if twitter was around back then. Would it have saved lives or create more confusion and pain?”
As we mark the eighth anniversary of September 11, some choose to silently reflect, some choose to give back to their community and volunteer, and others turn to social media to share emotions, connect with each other and offer support. Jeff’s tweet got me thinking about just how far we’ve come with regard to our use of social media – which if you remember, was only in its infancy some eight years ago. Today people are using their iPhones and facebook accounts to come together and honor the victims, and share their stories.
As I was getting ready to push this post live, I saw an article in the LA Weekly Blog, that details what 9-11 might look like in the age of social media. Alexia Tsotis asks, "Would Twitter be able to handle the scale? Would we all switch to Facebook? Even if overwhelmed, there's no doubt our real-time communication platforms would provide crucial information on survivors and those looking for loved ones, as Craigslist did after Hurricane Katrina."
The Septmber 11, digital archive is also using electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the history of September 11, and its aftermath. It contains more than 150,000 digital items, including more than 40,000 first-hand stories, and more than 15,000 digital images. For my sister-in-law, a first grade teacher in the Bronx, a digital archive like this allows her to share stories with her students, many of whom are learning of the tragedy for the first time.
What role has social media played in the way you are paying your respects or reflecting on this day?
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