Social Media: Not Only for Creeping

We have all heard the term “citizen journalism" where just about anyone can appoint themselves journalists. Using the tools readily available online and the technology that we desperately cling to everyday, news from al over the world is, well, everywhere. It is also safe to say that many people use social media to connect with friends, share photos, and feed off the latest bit of gossip to hit their news feeds.

However, now more commonly, social media has helped spread the word about the record-breaking earthquake in Japan and people are already using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to help Japan rebuild their country. People are contacting friends and family while posting videos, photos and news updates online from their phones and cameras. Information, as we all know, is never far away.

According to this article in the Technology section of ABC News, when Japan’s cell phones became too overcrowded to use, people used social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook to reach their concerned family members. The article discusses how an American law student who was in Japan for his spring break has used the Internet exclusively to connect with friends and family. This is not a tragedy that only affects the Japanese, and social media is helping remind us of that.

Google, which is becoming more social than just a reliable search engine, set up a “Person Finder” application that has helped linked victims to their family members already. And these immediate actions do not stop there. YouTube, as of March 11, holds over 9,000 earthquake-related videos and over 7,000 relating to tsunamis. The Google page looks like this. Simple and to the point and extremely effective:

Not only does this have newsworthy value, but it also opens a window for viewers all over the world to see how devastating a natural disaster like this can be. However, basic information is not enough to motivate people to help. When people can make an emotional connection, they are most likely to take action. It was groundbreaking to see live video during Vietnam War, as it can be accredited to causing such a negative view during that time. The same drastic affects are happening now, but thanks to social media, it is not uncommon or hard to find. People are inspired to help based on what they have seen through these images and videos of the earthquake. Twitter has becoming a main source of information, as people are posting devastating TwitPics and spreading the word about Red Cross’ efforts to assist victims in Japan just as it did for Haiti.

In the matter literally one second, my Twitter search for Japan was out of date:

The original purpose of the Internet was to create a network safe from military, technological and natural disasters and that remains true to this day. Now, however, it is a key player in spreading news, connecting with people and instantaneously raising efforts for those in need when other sources fail.

-Alaina Cordes

Maybe A Little Too Much Information

IJustMadeLove.com is simple to understand, but once one does, they may wish they did not.

One day while driving around his native Warsaw, 26-year-old programmer, Cyprian Ciećkiewicz wondered to himself, "How many people are making love right now, at this very moment?" Which soon lead to his founding of IJustMadeLove.com, a site that uses GPS technology and Google Maps to enable anonymous users to post answering an array of questions about the act (ie. Inside or outside?, Homo or hetero?). Over 77,900 encounters have been recorded from across the globe (TheDailyBeast).

Amazement comes with many of the locations such as in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is a far more popular place than one may assume and a brave seven couples just documented their acts in Saudi Arabia.

Ciećkiewicz and his partners strive to keep the site non-pronographic, "We didn't name the site I Just Had Sex or anything like that," he said. "We're trying to keep the site really nice." He even admits to showing it to his parents and getting their "PG" approval to make it friendly towards all users.

The site has caught global attention from Playboy to Stephen Colbert (host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report). Advertisers are showing a increased interest in IJustMadeLove.com with growing in popularity.

The site provides real-life statistics for contemporary sociological practices and may lead to helpful advertising statistics in certain fields. The website encourages viewers to view the Facebook, Twitter and smartphone application pages that ask further questions and encourage involvement from the viewer.

At the time of writing this blog, 138,182 people have documented making love.

But before you log on and see all the dirty details, be sure to ask yourself... do you really want to know?

Written By: Lauren N. Taistra