Once again, I will be discussing Twitter and its continued use in worldwide events. It seems as though every week, social media sites are being used more and more to update people on traumatic and extremely important events.
According to the New York Times, after an Israeli attack on Gaza, the government used Twitter in order to keep people updated. It says that more than 25 messages were sent to followers over a five-hour time period as the attack happened. In addition to messages, there were also videos and photos shared.
The I.D.F. also warned Hamas members that they should not show themselves in the next few days, and that was retweeted many, many times.
The article said that terrorist organizations have been using Twitter and various other social media sites in order to show videos of people being held hostage.
It is so bizarre and eerie to think that terrorists are using these sites that most people just use to talk about their daily lives and update friends and family members. Although it is used for good, such as in Hurricane Sandy, it can also be used for evil. Those who want to reach millions of people in order to relay a message could not turn to a better social media site than Twitter.
Twitter and other social media sites sometimes feel so shallow. However, reading this article made me realize how intense and what types of messages can be sent through the sites.
New York Times Article: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/in-israeli-attack-on-hammas-shock-awe-and-social-media/?ref=technology