In today's modern world, where information is shared and available in a single click of a computer or even "binged" as a news update on a smart phone, information is everywhere and opinions are as common place as the air we breathe.
Social computing or social network sites (SNSs), are defined as social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site read in an article by Danah Boyd
Today's Internet culture is a result of people wanting to be more proactive or participatory in what may be seen on the internet or through other smart technologies by voicing their opinions, beliefs, status and such on sites or means such as Wikipedia, Tweeting, Face book, blogs, etc.
There have been cases of cyber bullying resulting in suicide, legal action or violence and sometimes it almost seems as if people may be calling out for help of some sort through their social media sites, for example the recent shooting that took place in Arizona on January 8 of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left six others dead and 14 wounded. It has been reported that the shooter, Jared Loughner's movements before the shooting left clues to his mental condition, he posted on his MySpace account a farewell to his friends and pictures, and called a friend to say goodbye. Whether something could have been done to avert the shooting is unclear as Jared Loughner's mental health was already deteriorating and his behavior becoming more erratic. I am also undecided as whether his postings were a call of help or may have just been due to his continued disillusioned state of mind. Some of his activities can be found at an article published by the Huffington Post. This is not the first, nor will it be the last where somebody's movements, mental capacity or status before an action or activity can be traced to their social media sites.
As an assignment, it was interesting when I began to search for Arizona shooting how much different information came up, and it was difficult to decide which articles were from a reliable source as there was also blog sites and forums that would show up in the results. It had me thinking about that Web 2.0 thing and how there is just an overwhelming amount of information out there... whether good or bad...reliable or simply an individual opinion means it really is up to the reader to decipher what is relevant and what is rubbish.
I like your idea of saying maybe Loughner's activities online was his way of seeking for help. At first, I was just thinking of it as his emotion erupt, which will cause serious damage to the society. But we should admit that there is a possibility if someone could find out his anger in the first place, the tragedy might not happen afterwards.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this kind of hypothesis might sounds too ideal, and in the actual virtual world, there are conditions that would make the idea of helping someone online an almost impossible job (unless it is someone you know in real life), ie, the anonymous status or fake and blur information.
Good observation about Loughner's last MySpace post. It may be the case that doing so was a way to publicly commit to carrying out his plan, to declare his seriousness in the face of doubters in an online world where verbal bravado rarely manifests in activity. We will likely never have a complete explanation, but posting publicly does seem to undermine the 'loner' theory, and implies that social support or acknowledgment is important component of some antisocial activity.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I believe that people left their online trials before doing some big and tragic is equivalent to leaving a note behind before committing suicide or something terminal. Since people's information can be found in the mainstream area of the Internet all the way to the nooks and cranny of it, it is not impossible to search for more details about the perpetrator after an incident or tragedy.
ReplyDeleteSometimes though, it is true that some people post things about ending their life or something along that line as a way to cry out for help. Some friends who care would actually act upon it while others might make it worse by taunting and calling their attempt as a bluff. The results vary. Some suicide attempts were successfully averted, thanks to SNSs while others were less unfortunate. The failure to stop these tragedies can be attributed to the difficulties in figuring out whether an online expression is genuine or fake. This is one of the weaknesses of the power of online anonymity.
I was surprised that even news agencies which are considered reliable, such as CNN and Reuters, reported wrong information. I had the same experience when I Googled articles related to Loughner, most the web addresses were not reliable news agencies but personal blogs expressing opinions about the Arizona shootings and his behavior.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Nan saying that in real life, it’s impossible to catch an SOS message by someone in an online setting; even Loughner’s neighbors couldn’t help him after observing his recent acts (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09shooter.html).