A look back at tsunami blogs and video
A good roundup article on the use of blogs and personal video in response to the December 2004 tsunami in Indonesia
The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, has become another defining moment in the evolution and use of blogs. These distributed, interactive resources rallied around the disaster in ways that allowed readers to learn of the disaster, find ways to help through direct donations or volunteer opportunities, and cope with the grief that such an event inevitably brings.
Moving from personal, journal-style entries, blogs have addressed politics, war reportage, and, now, humanitarian aid efforts. Their power to reach vast numbers of people quickly with eye-witness reportage, graphics, opinion, and collections of news articles, and their ability to side-step government and corporate control have made blogs powerful forums for sharing information. The current manifestation of tsunami-related blogs are another step along a road that continually sees blogs creatively reacting to world events and gaining in popularity, respect, and impact.
During the hours immediately following the tsunami, like many others, I relied almost entirely on weblog postings and BitTorrent video for information rather than the US television and mainstream online news media. It’s interesting to look back, even though it’s been only a few months, and see how personal media took a big step towards becoming part of the mainstream.
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