New Media and Society

The effects of new media on society has literally changed the world as we know it. Before the emergence of the internet and new technologies the world was an extremely different place. Although 9/11 only happened 13 years ago, think about what would've happened if the attack on the World Trade Center happened today. Before going there, remember what it was like, being an individual living in the Tri-State area I remember it perfectly- no one knew what was going on, we accounted for our loved ones ensure that everyone was safe, and everyone heard a million different stories of what had actually happened. Now-fast-forward 13 years, what would it be like today. First off, if you search YouTube for World Trade Center 9/11, you will get approximately 350,000 results of tributes, video footage from that day from all angles, and interviews following the day from survivors and individuals who lost people. Now if it was today, there would be billions of videos on YouTube alone. Imagine the videos we would see? We live in a society where we are tied to our cellphone so imagine what the footage would be?- videos from people on the street from their phones, individuals running out from the building to try to save their life, and worse-video of individuals who unfortunately perished. The screams we would hear, the cries, and the silence of the aftermath of their untimely death. We would also would see billions of Tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts, which could have helped individuals locate their loved ones faster, we could have had a more unified grieving period where we would all be there for each other in another sense by speaking with eachother through social media and text messaging, and we could have a little more piece of mind when going to sleep that night. Sure, new media has given us many pros and cons however it has also revolutionizing the way in which we interact with eachother, the way in which we find news out, and more importantly, has given us a new way to live our life, in a more informed, more unified way.