My first visit to the website Mashable was very interesting
and addictive. I spent a great deal of time clicking from article to article
and reading different stories that fall into the topic of social media. One of
the most intriguing articles was entitled, “Photographer Identifies People in
Iconic 9/11 Image Using Social Media.”
Here is the link to the article: http://mashable.com/2013/09/19/social-media-sept-11-photo/
It has been a dozen years since the events of September 11,
2001 and I had nearly forgotten the photograph that appears in the article
which was taken by Patrick Witty who is an editor at TIME Magazine. The
photograph captured the moment in which one of the towers fell and it showed
the unbelievable emotions of those who were there to witness it firsthand.
The article later explains how Witty undertook the effort of
trying to identify some of the individuals in his iconic photograph through the
use of social media. In the article, Witty was asked, “Who has emailed you to provide identification information?” He replied, “It's
been a mix of family and friends of subjects and the subjects themselves. The
night I posted the photo I was text messaging memories of September 11 with one
of the guys that contacted me. I'm simply in awe of the power and reach of
social media.”
As I read the line, “I’m
simply in awe of the power and reach of social media” it made me reflect back
to watching a program this past September 11th that I watch every
year on the National Geographic Channel that ends with reuniting individuals
whose lives crossed paths that day. Social media has allowed Witty to make
contact with those in his photograph. It is really amazing that
the individuals can come together over a decade later and share their experiences
through the help of social media. It is truly amazing.
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I find it fascinating, the reach and scope social media has. Being able to identify people that could be scattered all over the world in a photograph is something that could never have happened before the web and social media. This makes me think just a little more locally. I have OLD photographs of family that aren't identified. I think I might post those on my facebook and see if any one recognizes them.....thanks
ReplyDeleteI’m amazed that social media played a role in identifying the individuals in this memorable and powerful photograph. In times of tragedy, social media can serve as an outlet for others to reach out, express their feelings, and unite with others.
ReplyDeleteI think it's easy for us to connect on this issue because it changed all of our lives that day, it touched us all. Social Media is an outlet for expressing ourselves and it gives us a powerful medium to express our feelings and photographs from that tragic day.
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