A news story titled “The World to the Rescue: Japan crisis showcases social media’s muscle” headlined USA Today this morning when I picked it up at school. This article explained how tweets sent to US Ambassador John Roos’s phone saved hospital patients in Chiba. Tons of social media outlets, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Skype have all greatly influenced how the world has seen this disaster in Japan. Instead of seeing these social media outlets as entertainment, these tweets have shown the US government and those around the world responding to the earthquake that social media has become a way for the people to share the graphic videos, mind-blowing photos, and calls for help from the Japanese people. In the words of Sree Sreenivansan (social media specialist at Colombia Graduate school), “Often, it’s not the experts who know something, it’s someone in the crowd.”
Abbey Dufoe 