Comments on: Digitalizing April 19, 1995

By: N'Higel Blackwell

N'Higel Blackwell — Sat, 05 May 2012 08:36:30 +0000

I always baffles me that people can take away innocent lives without a second thought or care that many more people are being hurt and affected by this decision. Sometimes I wonder do people like McVeigh know the impact they will have on people’s lives forever. One interesting part of this article is adding Facebook and social networking into the mix and what the possible results could have been. I believe, if Facebook was the entity that it is today in 1995, support for the families would have been much more abundant from really far away places.

By: Gabbie Aquino

Gabbie Aquino — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:18:53 +0000

It is amazing to reflect back on how much technology has boomed the past fifteen years. Technology has exploded over the past several years and it has had itspros and cons. I was not aware of this event before this post, but if it had happened this year, I probably would have know because I have access to the news in the palm of my hand (my iPhone). I am truly thankful for having the New York Times application on my iPhone, so whenever there is breaking news, it just pops up in my screen. It has allowed me to keep up with tcurrent events, which is great. However, because I have been reading more news, I would find myself preoccupied with what is happening around the nation instead of focusing in class or living in the present moment. I also think that with such easy access to the news, people/readers must critically evaluate their sources because of report biases and differences in point of views. With technology flourishing here though, I wonder if it is the same in developing countries. I wonder if they have access to the news and how it would affect their lives if they did.

By: Erica Solis

Erica Solis — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:33:00 +0000

I still faintly remember this event, I was almost 10 years old when it happened. To think back then there was no fast internet, no Facebook, no advanced technology in which to get the story to more people a lot faster. I am grateful that we have the internet now because even though not all the information is accurate, it is still very convenient especially when I rely on my CNN app. Also I don’t remember where it was but there was a shooting and the students inside the premises, hiding from the gunman, were able to text their parents to tell them they were hiding and still alive, this was last year I believe. I love that those kids were able to let their parents know they were safe because I cannot imagine what it might feel like to have my children in the same building or area as a gunman and no know whether my child was ok or not. I think that there are many benefits to the technology we have now, despite all the bad things about it.

By: Nick Prescott

Nick Prescott — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:48:01 +0000

This was very interesting but pretty sad too, I haven’t heard about this bombing until now. It is hard to imagine have that happen to you or anyone you might know. This really wasn’t that long ago, and the technology has changed so much, back when this occured in 1995 the word really moved slower than I thought. I didn’t realize how much different things were back a few years compared to now. The word about this bombing would have spread like wild fire, most of the country would know about it within the hour it happened.

By: Donald Anderson

Donald Anderson — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:24:37 +0000

This was an interesting look at the difference between a disaster or large event then and now. I remember reading about the social media influence in the uprisings in Cairo, Egypt in the last year. The social media influence made a small uprising into an international event where tourists and journalists from out of country got caught up in a frenzy that they could not escape. I can’t even imagine something of similar proportions happening on American soil…

By: Danika Norman

Danika Norman — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:35:41 +0000

This is very interesting and such a great reminder. We so often think that new technology will fix everything. Yes, many things have been improved as a result but it will never fix everything. It is great that word can be spread faster and to more people quickly. This can be somewhat beneficial but in the end it will not fix anything. We need to remember that in times of disaster and chaos, technology will not be there to get us out of it. The skills and perseverance of people is what is needed.

By: Whitney L

Whitney L — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:02:46 +0000

Back in 1995, I was only 5 years old. So I am not able to make this type of comparison in my mind on how reporting used to be covered to how it is now. It is interesting to hear (and almost impossible to imagine) that it used to take people days to find out about such a tragedy when now n days we hear about it within an hour usually like you said. I like how you brought facebook into the post as well. Facebook definitely helps make a place for people to get support about a cause or something happening. I also agree that journalists are still needed to figure out the facts even for people to know after the word gets around about something happening.

By: Ashley Harper

Ashley Harper — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:56:33 +0000

This was such an interesting post to read. Major news stories travel so fast today, and it is hard to imagine what this tragic event would have been like today. I completely agree that we need excellent journalists and emergency responders to cover stories. It is also helpful to have the digital media that allow us to spread information to the mass public. If we always had this combination with every major news story, the information would be accurate and quick.

By: Kellie Muller

Kellie Muller — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:22:43 +0000

This post proved to be one that made me think a lot. Our society has altered its ways so much, so quickly, it’s both fascinating and scary at the same time. The rapid speed at which news travels is crazy! But yet, technology has changed our world so much, we can get news almost instantaneously. There is this awareness and addiction that we have to social media that has completely altered the way we think and really go about life. To think back to specific life events- what could have been, if we had the technology we have today, then? Like 9/11. Would that of been avoided? If not avoided, could we have eliminated deaths? Probably. Or then today with Kony2012. If we didn’t have technology that we do, would it even be as popular as it is? Probably not.

By: Emily Brown

Emily Brown — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:39:16 +0000

This was one of the most interesting blog posts I’ve read in awhile. I always find it fascinating when people relate past events and hypothesize about what would have happened if they would have taken place in today’s society. It is so weird to think that only 17 years ago the way tragedies were reported on took entirely different forms. I feel like with the popularization of Facebook and other social media sites, people feel more involved and impacted by a tragedy, even if it happened across the nation or even world. By having that interactive forum where people can come together to talk about what has happened and share how they feel about it, it really connects everyone and changes the dynamic.