The 15th of December, I remember my dad opening my door waking me up to inform me that there was a hostage situation in Sydney right around the corner from where my sister was working. As I started to wake up and question what my dad was saying I did my morning ritual of scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. My friends were already aware of the situation and some posts were circling around my newsfeed. My dad was able to contact my sister (who was also seeing my visiting mum) and ensured their safety. As the siege continued throughout the day more and more posts began to circle with information relating to the man and topics around ISIS occurring[1].
It was a strange time, and could be argued as the most historical terrorist attack on Australia’s homeland. The hostage situation lasted several hours[2] and sparked the social media hashtag #illridewithyou. This hashtag was used to help and support those who were facing adversity due to the race/religion of the man responsible for the hostage situation[3]. In tough times it’s common for people with different backgrounds and ideologies to come together to support each other. What makes this situation so interesting is the fact that the Australian public stood behind those who in some instances would be targeted, and made the situation a positive reflection of our culture and how we treat our each other.
An image of Australia with the hashtag that occurred during the Sydney Siege.
As the day went on and the media continued to track and share live updates, Australia watched closely waiting patiently for something to happen. This was the first time we had faced the controversy of a suspected terrorist attack and it made me consider just how safe we really are in this country. This story was huge for social media and thousands of tweets, statuses, photos and videos were shared in relation the incident. The story unfolded on social media, rather then using the usual medium – TV or Radios, Facebook/Twitter. Social media was used to announce updates on the incident, even videos of the hostages escaping leaked on social media almost immediately. The problem with this type of information is the detail and accuracy of each post, it can’t exactly be confirmed and often leaves room for misinterpretation or just wrongly share information. What was also really special was the fact that a hostage used social media to connect with their friends to share the terrorists requests and send messages to the public, “Please broadcast on all media that this is an attack on Australia by the Islamic State.”[4]
An image of news reporters speaking to Haron Monis prior to the Sydney Siege in relation to sending offending letters.
How can social media be a great tool in the case of natural disasters? Social media is a great way for communities to connect in hard times, everyday people have a voice with Facebook and Twitter (Social Platforms), and also being able to share your support or receive support whilst in times of suffer can potentially make a world of difference for those who might need it the most. The amount of information available in these situations is remarkable and staying up to date with the latest news is as simple following a hashtag or reading some statuses.. In conclusion, it’s safe to say that if I was to ever experience a disaster I would turn to social media for help, support and information.
So when have you used social media to connect with news and breaking stories?
Jason Collier's Social Blogsphere 