The earthquake in Haiti is one of this hemisphere's worst disasters in history. With nearly one third of the Haitian population directly affected, every person in the country is reeling in the aftermath of incredible destruction. Vast attention is being directed from around the world as the international community observes and struggles to comprehend the magnitude of devastation wrought on this impoverished country.
In the aftermath of destruction, communication tools are an information lifeline. This has been facilitated by new media that in less than a decade has revolutionized our ability to observe and connect to each other.
Networked communications have made it possible to post pictures and videos increasing the speed of information flow. Social networking services have enabled the sharing of condolences and sympathy as well as the rapid flow of donations for relief efforts. Online registries of missing and surviving persons make it possible for families to gain information from afar.
With the devastation, traditional communications infrastructure collapsed, but the Internet and short messaging systems remain viable mechanisms for emergency information and situational updates. This networked communications infrastructure has proven to be resilient in the face of disaster and has enabled information sharing in ways previously impossible. People are communicating via text messaging, Twitter, and Skype to friends and family around the world.
Just six short years ago, the world's attention was turned to the tsunami in South East Asia. While new media were available for information sharing at the time, limited use was observed. Flickr, however, became a key resource and mechanism for sharing images from the disaster as well as pictures of the missing. This is in contrast with what was observed following the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001. Following 9/11, images were shared not via networked technologies, but through posters and picture placards posted at makeshift memorials throughout the city. In contrast with photocopied posters, networked communications have the potential to reach thousands of observers in a very short period of time.
Only six months ago, when Hurricane Odnoy drenched the Phillipines, worldwide observers watched the devastation unfold through citizen-generated images and texts through social networking services such as Twitter. Similar to the current situation in Haiti today, information was shared through resilient infrastructure when landlines and cellular communications were compromised as a result of the disaster damage. Citizen journalism via new media has become a common feature of information gathering and sharing in our everyday lives. During a disaster, it is a lifeline and a source of virtual capital connecting the worldwide community of onlookers to those most directly affected.
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In the aftermath of destruction, communication tools are an information lifeline. This has been facilitated by new media that in less than a decade has revolutionized our ability to observe and connect to each other.
Networked communications have made it possible to post pictures and videos increasing the speed of information flow. Social networking services have enabled the sharing of condolences and sympathy as well as the rapid flow of donations for relief efforts. Online registries of missing and surviving persons make it possible for families to gain information from afar.
With the devastation, traditional communications infrastructure collapsed, but the Internet and short messaging systems remain viable mechanisms for emergency information and situational updates. This networked communications infrastructure has proven to be resilient in the face of disaster and has enabled information sharing in ways previously impossible. People are communicating via text messaging, Twitter, and Skype to friends and family around the world.
Just six short years ago, the world's attention was turned to the tsunami in South East Asia. While new media were available for information sharing at the time, limited use was observed. Flickr, however, became a key resource and mechanism for sharing images from the disaster as well as pictures of the missing. This is in contrast with what was observed following the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001. Following 9/11, images were shared not via networked technologies, but through posters and picture placards posted at makeshift memorials throughout the city. In contrast with photocopied posters, networked communications have the potential to reach thousands of observers in a very short period of time.
Only six months ago, when Hurricane Odnoy drenched the Phillipines, worldwide observers watched the devastation unfold through citizen-generated images and texts through social networking services such as Twitter. Similar to the current situation in Haiti today, information was shared through resilient infrastructure when landlines and cellular communications were compromised as a result of the disaster damage. Citizen journalism via new media has become a common feature of information gathering and sharing in our everyday lives. During a disaster, it is a lifeline and a source of virtual capital connecting the worldwide community of onlookers to those most directly affected.
