Facebook, life and MJ

It never ceases to amaze me. Same thing happened in the 2008 presidential election. As the results began to pour in, everyone's statuses were updated to read "OBAMA!!!" "YES. Finally. The world is safe." "A brother in the white house!" Just page after page after page of people praising the first black leader of the free world. It was an incredible social experiment. But I figured it was a rare occasion. I mean, how often does a moment like that happen... But it happened again. Within Minutes of Michael Jackson's Death today, my Facebook home page was just flooded with people (myself included) clogging the information highway with the same news. "The King of Pop has beat it."

Now I'm not knocking it. I'm just making an observation. I'm marvelling at the incredible interconnected nature of the world we live in. Between facebook, myspace and now Twitter, news and gossip spreads like wildfire. It gets me thinking about all the limitless possibilities that this technology can supply us with. Think about it. I'm seeing ads on TV now for apps that know exactly what road you're located on. With the app, your friends - at the push of a button - can know exactly where in the world you are located. Now that doesn't bode well for people who are trying to live a secret life (but if you don't want people knowing where you are, why would you invest in the application on your phone? That's another question all together.)

But think about what can be done with that. We could revolutionize emergency response. If someone is getting raped in the middle of the night, there can be a button on her phone that automatically notifies authorities of an emergency and where the person is located. Of course, phone companies would see opportunity for profit there, and no one would invest in the app unless it wasn't gonna cost them an arm and a leg to do it. That's just a crappy idea that I pulled out of the air now. But, imagine what could be done with the brain of a person who can think up GOOD ideas!

Not even the GPS application, but just thinking bout the internet and it's wonders. Within a matter of seconds word can be sent from one corner of the earth to the other. Gone are the days of taking time to get in touch with someone. If I want to tell my friend in Australia something, I just hop online and within 5 seconds I can be telling them all about my new jeans (or what have you) It's mind-blowing. Positively mindblowing.

It's even crazier when you think of the spreading of news. If I take Michael Jackson as an example. My sister and my friend Kim both told me that within a matter of minutes they had received at least 5 text messages or emails or FB messages telling them about his death. But it goes further than Hollywood. Look to Iran. The Grand Ayatollah and his council of "Clerics" have banned international media from covering the protests against Ahmadinejad's re-election. But it's impossible. Twitter posts, myspace posts, and Cell Pics are popping up all over mainstream Western Media, showing that this opposition is a reality. A reality that mirrors the Islamic Revolution that brought down the Shah. 'Tiananmen Square Moments' simply won't happen anymore. Which is amazing. It really is. I used to be very scared and skeptical, and proudly called myself anti-technology. But the way I see it, the authorities will keep tabs on us one way or another. They have files on people that aren't even born yet. Might as well reap the benefits of our ingenuity.

As long as we don't lose touch with our humanity. That's another topic all together. Perhaps for another post.