I think there is a false equivalence here. The Iranian protests were fundamentally about a mass political movement and getting sympathy/riling up support was absolutely crucial. That said, at the time I thought the whole "Twitter will save us" was vastly overrated, and started to write a post called "Why The Iranian Revolution Marks The Apex Of Twitter" that would have argued the reasons why instant social web networking is not effective for mass political movements...however I got busy and by the time I got around to it the issue wasn't that topical. However that argument was more about the ease that authorities can use it to spread false information making the signal to noise ratio drop to zero and causing a lack of faith in any reports.
The Fort Hood thing was entirely different. It was not a political moment, no one that wasn't involved could do anything to help and there was no reason why people had to know now except for the next of kin, etc. That usage was entirely inappropriate. To make matters worse, correct information had no utility value, but misinformation could potentially have had (has had?) grave consequences. That's because it creates a highly emotional reaction in the consumers that cannot necessarily be corrected with facts later on (see Greenwald's point).
There is also the general (and growing problem) of how that approach to life cuts people off from fully experiencing their surroundings and how it disrupts empathy formation during conversations, but that's a slightly different issue.
Polimom
· 1 month ago
There also a very real phenomenon that is caused? evoked? by the one-step-removal of a camera lens. As a photographer, I've long-since noticed that events that would normally horrify me as a spectator are neutralized through the lens. I've photographed graphic, horrifying scenes in nature that I could never, ever have simply watched.
I suspect this disassociation is at play as well in other arenas -- like Fort Hood.
ThurmanHart
· 1 month ago
I think this is simply part and parcel of the whole "reality tv" thing. We've become accustomed to watching this little box where people's emotions are manipulated for our entertainment. In my opinion, it does nothing beneficial to society but it does allow us to become a bit more jaded about actual suffering.
But too many people - and I have to include this site - are willing to perpetrate social fraud to play on people's emotions in order to get a bit of attention.
i think it'd be fair to interview the woman to ask more questions and get reflections from her point of view.
The issues in Iran re camera phones and political change etc., id entirely different
as photographer of silverpoint black and white for 40 years, for me cant photograph when confronted with say, accident on roadway. Run to help. Instinct.
However, if one cannot help, because press of people, or those more qualified on scene, I can imagine someone recording the scene via notes, camera, etc
I would imagine any photos this woman has of the scene will now become critical evidence.
All Comments
The Fort Hood thing was entirely different. It was not a political moment, no one that wasn't involved could do anything to help and there was no reason why people had to know now except for the next of kin, etc. That usage was entirely inappropriate. To make matters worse, correct information had no utility value, but misinformation could potentially have had (has had?) grave consequences. That's because it creates a highly emotional reaction in the consumers that cannot necessarily be corrected with facts later on (see Greenwald's point).
There is also the general (and growing problem) of how that approach to life cuts people off from fully experiencing their surroundings and how it disrupts empathy formation during conversations, but that's a slightly different issue.
I suspect this disassociation is at play as well in other arenas -- like Fort Hood.
But too many people - and I have to include this site - are willing to perpetrate social fraud to play on people's emotions in order to get a bit of attention.
The issues in Iran re camera phones and political change etc., id entirely different
as photographer of silverpoint black and white for 40 years, for me cant photograph when confronted with say, accident on roadway. Run to help. Instinct.
However, if one cannot help, because press of people, or those more qualified on scene, I can imagine someone recording the scene via notes, camera, etc
I would imagine any photos this woman has of the scene will now become critical evidence.
dr.e