Here are the articles I am going to discuss today in class. Click on the headlines to read the articles.
USA Today: Murder on Social Media — Killer wanted World to Watch
“The Twitter and Facebook accounts were created just last week.
Videos labeled as tests were added.
Then, as the nation learned that two journalists had been shot to death during a live TV broadcast Wednesday, the self-identified gunman used those accounts to post chilling videos showing him approach the scene, raise his gun and fire.”
Washington Post: Killer’s Ultimate Selfie: Roanoke Horror Becoming the New Norm
“Rage, narcissism, a gun and social media combined for a particularly excruciating display of horror Wednesday morning. After murdering two former colleagues during a live TV news stand-up, the Roanoke killer uploaded a horrifying message to his Twitter account: “I filmed the shooting see Facebook.”
AP: On-Air Killings Gripped Millions on Social Media
“Within hours, the carefully scripted carnage carried out by a disgruntled former colleague spread to millions of viewers gripped by what had transformed into a social media storm. The governor initially described a car chase on his weekly radio show, with police on the shooter’s tail on an interstate highway.
Social Media Shows Best and Worst Side of Journalist Shootings
“In this case, Flanagan not only was the focus of the story, he also drove it by posting his own perspective on Twitter and Facebook.
The lack of editors and gatekeepers curating breaking news becomes combined with the self-aggrandizing tendencies encouraged by social media in a kind of perfect storm for the promotion of violence.”
CBS News: Social Media played a big part in shooting.
Question of the day: How would have Katrina been different with Social Media (and if the cell service had stayed on).
From Katrina to Sandy: How the Internet Spread the Word
“How did people get their updates in 2005?
Some of the differences are obvious. Of course, these days we don’t have to rely just on the talking heads on television, or even experts on the Internet, to tell us what’s going on; we can get our updates directly from our friends and family, who can post updates in real time on social networks.
But it’s not just about how we get our news, it’s about the resources that have been put in place by those networks to help people. As people shift the way that they get their news and updates, many of the biggest online resources have stepped up to the plate to really deliver help to those in need.’
When Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in August of 2005, killing 1,833 people, and costing $108 billion in damage, there was no Twitter or YouTube. Even Facebook was less than a year old.
Without According to a Pew Internet report from November 2005, only 50% of all Internet users got information about Hurricanes Katrina or Rita online. This was only about 72 million people at the time.
Around 73% of those 72 million people got their news from a major news organization, by far the biggest piece of the pie. Websites for non-profits were the second most visited, with only 32% visiting them.”