future Twitter/Jaiku tipping point...
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I started writing this on Monday and left it in draft form...given recent events, it seems a bit eerily prescient...(I would be surprised if the scenario below hasn't happened during the Virginia Tech shootings)
I had a not particularly nice thought the other day - imagine a Twitter or Jaiku user finds themselves in a highly unpleasant situation, that's ongoing - say, a hostage situation. They start sms'ng the events as they happen to one of the services, and it's immediately broadcast-able on the web.
What a macabre spectacle that will be...will it represent some major tipping point in perception of these services and the communications model they represent?
I remember hearing/reading transcripts of cellphone calls made from people in on September 11th - absolutely tragic and incredibly unsettling, of course - the above scenario would amplify that experience to a realtime global audience.
quick reflection based on events from a few day's ago; I can't find anything about live reports coming from those affected (people involved however used blogs/updates/etc to keep track of the aftermath)...although, perversely, the actual cause of this horror videoblogged his madness during the event.
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I was intensely focused on the events at Virginia Tech because Killfile, the top correspondent at Newsvine, the year-and-a-half old social journalism site, works on the VT campus and posted a news report to his site at approximately 0830 EDT. The report, including over 30 updates stretching throughout the day is available at http://killfile.newsvine.com/_news/2007/04/16/666369-shootings-on-virginia-techs-campus-at-least-33-dead
Equally interesting is the comment thread attached to the article, where other Newsvine contributors added their own bits of news and information. There are several other Newsviners on the campus who worked hard to provide correct information and clarify rumors.
Possibly the most poignant and powerful portion of the comment trail is from "Worried Family Member" whose comment trail extended over Monday and Tuesday, following the ups and downs of incorrect reports, false hopes, and a thunderously quiet conclusion.
I may be partisan, due to the huge amount of time and energy I've invested in Newsvine, but I think this was one of the site's finest moments and an example of how community journalism really can work.
Posted by: evano | April 25, 2007 04:48 AM