What would have happened during the events of 9/11 had today’s social networks been in use eight years ago today? That is the question that Cameron and Joe address in this week’s Overflow Podcast on the anniversary of the attacks.
During the podcast we recollect our actual whereabouts on that day, and what we were doing on the moment we first were made aware that the Trade Center had been hit.
We try to make complete speculation about how we would have witnessed the scene if there had been Twitter, Facebook and probably most importantly YouTube on that day.
In many cases we have said that social media has been better at capturing live events instead of traditional media, however in this case the second plane hitting the tower on live television could not have been any more powerful. Technology would have provided more eye witness accounts at ground zero and we might have experienced the horror to an even greater degree as video became available.
It is possible though that GPS technology, Google Latitude, Brightkite or other location based technologies could have helped loved ones locate each other.
We also cannot forget the millions of people not directly impacted by were stranded in airports around the country, the personal stories that they experienced would also have been included in the social media distribution of meta data.
We have discovered a repository of 9/11 videos that is being powered by our friends at Magnify, and is part of the Camera Planet Archive. At this web site is some of the video that might have been distributed almost in real time on that day of September 11, 2001.
This repository is a powerful effect for the future generations so that they can understand what our experiences were like as it happened. It underlines the importance of a project like StoryCorps which provides a way to capture our personal histories.
Would these tools have helped in the healing process? It probably would have .. we would have reached out to the friends that we have made online using the social networks.
We also have to consider the global social networks that we have grown as we would have been able to witness the events through the eyes of the world.
How do you think the technology would have changed the national experiences on that day in September 2001?
The opening and closing theme for the Overflow Podcast is called The Information Age, by Anthony Fiumano and you can find it at the Podsafe Music Network.
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