The commons of the tragedy Lee Rainie - Director
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The commons of the tragedy Lee Rainie - Director The Internet & Collecting the History of the Present 9.10.03
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The commons of the tragedy Lee Rainie - Director The Internet & Collecting the History of the Present 9.10.03. Why bother to archive?. The Internet changes the nature of production and consumption of information Everyone can be a “journalist” or contributor - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of The commons of the tragedy Lee Rainie - Director
The commons of the tragedyLee Rainie - Director
The Internet & Collecting the History of the Present
9.10.03
Why bother to archive?
• The Internet changes the nature of production and consumption of information– Everyone can be a “journalist” or
contributor
• Immediacy and intimacy of information
• Volume and scope of information
• Practical and scholarly insights
September 11 – Some Internet basics
• Number of American adults online dropped 11% in the first week after the attack
• Number of emailers dropped 17%• Declines in the number of those….
– pursuing hobbies online (-50%)– purchasing goods (-50%)– seeking medical information (-40%)– browsing for fun (-35%)– doing work-related research (-24%)
What people did more
More intense and prolonged searching and content creation– News rose 32%– Instant messaging rose 18%– Government Web site traffic rose 31%– Charity and volunteer site traffic increased
24%– Online community activity rose nearly
fourfold
What people did online
• 69% sought news and related information• 34% posted or read personal responses • 23% got information about victims/survivors• 23% downloaded pictures of the U.S. flag• 20% visited a commemorative Web site• 14% participated on online polls• 10% got info on local demonstrations/rallies • 10% signed online petitions• 9% contacted elected official by email
Email content
72% used email in some way related to events – grieving, consoling, expressing patriotism,
finding long-lost friends, making/receiving prayer requests, hashing out military and political options
The virtual commons: Raw emotion
“This is absolute chaos… a sheer tragedy…how could this happen here?”
-- Tori Hill, Yahoo’s Sept11 reaction site
“I wonder if I will ever sleep peacefully again after seeing those bodies falling. I wonder if I will ever stop crying.”
--- Blogger named ponygirl at Blogger.com
The virtual commons: Hunt for details
“People, please keep these reports coming. I have friends in New York but right now this is my only source of information. All the news sites are totally jammed.”
-- Markmark33 in an AOL chat room
The virtual commons: Tests of faith
“I don't know what I believe anymore. I am not even sure how I feel about God. I use to believe all things happen for a reason but have since decided that is an idiotic way to believe…I have decided to leave Beliefnet for a while and think things out. I have been a member nearly a year and met some pretty wonderful people. I will miss you all. Please pray for me.”
-- corinthianxx on Beliefnet.com
The virtual commons: Grief and consoling
“I cry at strange times in strange places and at the strangest triggers. Today I went grocery shopping and started crying when I noticed the biggest selling Halloween costume: A rack of Firefighter costumes. Kids want to be like their heroes and many kids have seen and decided that wrestlers and cartoon characters, comic book characters aren't heroic enough for them anymore. I cried while I watched a little boy try on the helmets. Right there in the store. Is it just me?”
--LadyMarchHare on The Well
The virtual commons: Practical advice
• Are you okay? How can I help?
• Here is the place you can go to donate blood, attend a meeting, volunteer, attend a service
• Here are things you can do to help in your community
• Here is the latest news I’ve heard
The virtual commons: Political discussion
“I fear he [President Bush] will use excessive force which will lead to more terrorist attacks and possibly war. I would feel so much better if Clinton was in office.”
-- donation111 in the Yahoo Sept. 11 attack site
“I am not a Bush fan, I didn't like his dad and I don't like his brother, however he has my full support as leader of the country, his speech writers are remarkable and it [the President’s speech to Congress on September 20] was delivered to perfection.”
-- janesommers in International Women’s Forum
A new online normalcy
• More news searching
• More interest in government and politics
• More community participation
• More spiritual activity
• But return to the usual levels of interest in other activities
http://september11.archive.org/
Library of Congress, Internet Archive, WebArchvist.org
The 9/11 web-sphere
Web producers responded by building new features into their sites or expanding existing services
OBTAINING AND PROVIDING INFORMATION
http://home.nyc.gov (09/14/01)
Obtaining Assistance
http://www.brainstormsandraves.com/attack/checkin (09/26/01)
Enabling Expression
http://www.worldtradecentermemorial.com (09/14/01)
Providing Support
http://christianity.com/partner/ (09.26.01)
Enabling Political Advocacy
http://workingforchange.com/activism (09.23.01)
About us
Pew Internet & American Life Project
1100 Connecticut Ave. NW – Suite 710
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-296-0019
http://www.pewinternet.org/
