Social Networking: Today and Yesterday

I do not think a day goes by when someone close to me does not make a reference to “Facebook.” Whether it be a reference to a new photograph “tagged” or a reference to a comment on someone’s “wall,” Facebook conversation has become apart of our every day lives. In addition to the Facebook addiction, other social networking sites have become viral. These sites allow users to stay in contact with friends across the globe, inform friends what is going on in their lives, and post their resumes in the hopes of obtaining a job. 

The number of social networking sites continue to grow and replace older ones. University at Albany Senior, Amy Kattan, New Rochelle, New York, has had Facebook since she was a senior in high school. She logs into facebook numerous times everyday. Kattan also has a “LiveJournal” account. In high school, Kattan used LiveJournal to write about her daily activities and to read about what her friends were doing. Now, she uses the online journal primarily to read about what is going on in her friends’ lives. Also in high school, Kattan had “Xanga” and “MySpace” accounts, but recently deleted both of them. After exploring the world of “Twitter,” Kattan decided to make an account. Apparently, Twitter dissappointed Kattan as she deleted the account a day later.

Similarly to Kattan, UAlbany Senior, Krystina Karp, Greenwich, N.Yalso recently created a Twitter account to see what all of the hype was about. While she still has the account, she never “Tweets” or logs into it to see what her followers and those she is following are doing. Rather, Karp perfers to luse the social networks sites, Facebook and MySpace. She has had both of these accounts since she was a senior in high school.

Unlike Kattan and Karp, UAlbany Junior, Neil Fins, Marlboro, New Jersey,  has a Twitter account that he uses to tweet his thoughts on a regular basis. Fins also logs into Facebook  to stay in contact with friends.

Kattan is not the only UAlbany student who has deleted his or her MySpace and Xanga accounts. UAlbany graduate student, Adam Girard, Glens Falls, N.Y. and UAlbany Junior, Amanda Brandoff both deleted their high school Xanga and MySpace accounts. Brandoff has had a Facebook account since high school. While she does not particularly care for Facebook, she keeps the account because all of her friends have one, so it makes it easy for her to stay in contact with them. Girard has had his facebook account since he was a Freshman at UAlbany and also uses the account to stay in touch with friends.

I am not surprised that all of the students I interviewed have Facebook accounts, but I am a bit surprised that not more students have Twitter accounts. Maybe this is because Facebook has created a way for its users to update others on what they are up to in a Twitter-like way. I was surprised that not one student I interviewed has a LinkedIn account. I think LinkedIn is a great social network website that will definitely benefit those who have graduated or are about to graduate college.

Regardless of which social networking sites are being used, one thing is clear: social networking websites are becoming increasingly popular and are here to stay.

How Long Will the Attention Last?

It was reported this week, that the search and rescue of live bodies in the rubble has officially come to an end in Haiti. Yet a CNN.com video shows something contradictory:: http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2010/01/26/cooper.haiti.death.everywhere.cnn.  One of my best friends from high school lost her mother in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. I remember my friends and I praying every night for weeks that Nicole’s mother, Grace, would be one of those lucky people who was still living under rubble, soot, and ash. When it was finally announced that the search for living bodies in rubble of the Twin Towers was going to end, we were all crushed–it was one of the worst feelings in the world.

I noticed something in the weeks that followed the announcement that no more bodies would be pulled from the rubble of the Twin Towers: news coverage of the attacks started to slow down and become less and less. Since the earthquake devastated Haiti, I wondered how long news coverage of the earthquake would dominate our news programs. I wondered when news coverage would return to providing us with stories about the failing economy or banks. Today, when I visited CNN.com, the headline story was not about the devastation in Haiti, rather, it was about the gun markets in Pakistan.

I still cannot fathom that the Haiti coverage is no longer the headlining issue. Sure, it was announced that the search for live bodies has ceased, but what about the rebuilding of Port-ai-Prince? What about all the help the nation needs to get back on its toes? What about all the crime and disease that his stricken the city as a result of the earthquake? And what about all the effort other nations such as the United States and Israel are putting forward to help the city rebuild? Over a hundred thousand people were killed by this earthquake that took place a little over two weeks ago, how is it already out of the headlines?

I am really appalled, yet not surprised that this is happening. It seems to be a trend with news coverage. It happened with the coverage of September 11, 2001 and it most definitely happened with the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. I think news coverage is helpful in educating people about the dire situation in Haiti as well as motivating people to donate their time and money to help with the situation.

The bottom line is, even though the rescuing of live bodies may have come to an end, there is so much more to be done in Haiti. The situation deserves the attention of our news networks for more than three weeks.

In the end, we are only human.

I do not think I will ever forget Anderson Cooper’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina on CNN in 2005. Cooper actually broke down on camera and started to cry because of the heartbreaking situation in New Orleans. That being said, it did not surprise me when we watched the video clip in class of Cooper dropping his microphone and rescuing the little boy who was hurt and gushing blood.

Anderson Cooper

If I were in Cooper’s position, I undoubtedly would have done the exact same thing–drop the camera to rescue the injured child. I would not have even had to think twice about what to do. As journalists we are trained to ask tough questions, walk into scary situations, and talk to people who might be going through something horrible. Journalists are supposed to report and act in an almost sensitized way to avoid biases and to prevent changing the story.

When Cooper stepped in to save the boy, he did something a journalist should not necessarily do: he changed the story. The story was no longer about solely about the rising violence in Haiti. Rather, it was about how the escalating violence in Haiti got so bad that Cooper , a journalist in Haiti with the purpose of reporting on the situation, had to step in and rescue a little boy.

It might be AGAINST the rules of good journalism to do what Cooper did, but it FOLLOWS the rules of being a good person. As I mentioned in class on Wednesday, when it comes down to it, Cooper is a human. A good person would not be able to stand idle and watch the violence continue. Rather, a good person would step in and do exactly what Cooper did. I know I could never live with myself if I just stood by and watched this child getting beaten to death. Yes, I want to be an award-winning journalist and get the story that no other journalist is able to get. But, I also want to remain a good person and do the right thing. For me it is a matter of ethics and watching a child die is just not an option, even if it means going against the rules of journalism.

The fact that Cooper stepped in to rescue the child actually adds to the coverage of Haiti. It shows how out of control the situation is there and how much help the nation needs. Cooper’s rescuing of the boy might provoke viewers to donate their money or time to help out the dire situation. I am sure that news coverage like this ((http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2010/01/22/ac.haiti.new.orphans.cnn)) touches viewers, provides information about the current situation, and makes them want to help out with the rescue effort. However, I truly believe that the video clip of Cooper rescuing the little boy really demonstrates how dire the situation in Haiti is.