I am not particularly familiar with the specifics of microblogging since it is not a prevalent part of my life. I do have a facebook account, but I don’t take interest in things such as blogging or twitter. So when the news story regarding a father in China using social media to find his missing son was brought up in class, I was slightly taken aback. How could the facilitation of social media be so effective as to lead to the discovery of a missing boy? I hadn’t realized the popularity of such things as microblogging as a means of communication in such serious matters. The Chinese version of Twitter, allowed this six-year-old boy to return home to his father after being abducted for three years. It is satisfying to read such a heart-warming story, but at the same time it was an eye opener for me. Following the actual story, the article concludes with a segment entitled ‘The Era Of Microblogs’. Here the author discusses the immensity and continuing development of microblogs in China. China has one of the largest populations of Internet users and it appears to be continuously growing. I found the quote “microblogs are our own individual media” intriguing. I was forced to think about all of the dynamics of social media and its influence in society. Rather than news reports and things of the like being strictly limited to the government or officials, individuals are provided some power and control through social media.
In response to this article, I feel as though this was a wake-up call to the continuing developments in our society. Although this idea of microblogging may seem to be beneficial, I think we are too rapidly depending upon social media in our lives. For such serious and significant matters, we are relying so heavily on something we cannot entirely call “reliable”. I think that the Internet and its many uses are not all that we think that they are. Technology and Internet has become such a prevalent part of our lives, but are we fully aware of their causes? We spend so much time thinking about the good things offered by technology and are constantly trying to come up with new advances, but have we looked at the consequences? Being so largely dependant upon the Internet, we fail to recognize the beauty of real life. With so much reliance on the Internet, we run the risk of putting ourselves in potential danger. Aside from privacy issues, the liberated access to so much information posted on the Internet, puts our society in a state of vulnerability. If anything on the Internet gets leaked out, there is no regulating where it could travel. If there were ever a glitch with the Internet system, it would seem as though our society would be in an unsettled state, unsure of what they would do as an alternative. It is difficult to make known such negativities, but it seems essential as a result of the developments of our society.
Returning back to the idea of microblogging and its growing usage in China, it is necessary that we consider all aspects of technology and the Internet. The government and high-level officials are becoming more and more involved with the Internet and microblogs and soon we may lose the culture that was once so popular. Eventhough it is inevitable that our society make changes and continue to grow and advance, it hard to see such drastic changes occur so quickly. It is true that “the ear of the microblogs is here”, but it is hard for me to fully embrace it.
Link to the article: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/10/133644822/Chinas-Social-Media-Help-To-Rescue-Abducted-Boy
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