Bin Laden Death Rules Social Media

By Bryan Cain-Jackson


Article first published as Bin Laden Death Rules Social Media on Technorati. 


When something is the buzz, you’d better believe that you’ll find it on a social media network within seconds. It can even be said that this is how many people in the younger generation get their news.



The current buzz is of a very different nature. It’s normally about what happened on “American Idol” last night, or who got fired on “Celebrity Apprentice,” and a host of other mind numbing television programs that lure interest. Fortunately, this time we get treated to a different fare; the death of Osama Bin Laden has ruled the web ever since the news was announced shortly after 10:15 Eastern-Standard time May 1st. In particular it has ruled the social media sites. The increase in conversation over Bin Laden’s fate has increased over 75,000 percent since the first announcement. It’s no doubt a combination of celebratory spewing, mad ravings, negative remarks about the Obama administration, and the trademark conspiracy theorists. Perhaps, Donald Trump will lead the conspiracy theorists into persuading the President to produce an original death certificate for Bin Laden.


The death of Bin Laden represents something different to many walks of life. For some it’s retribution, for others it’s an eye for an eye, and lastly there is always going to be a universal sense of justice.


I have read clever Facebook postings, and some not so clever or even politically correct. Among the most memorable I have read is: “It took Obama to get Osama.” It was quite a thrill to see everyone speaking up on more intelligent fare versus the normal dribble.


This not only demonstrates that much needed sense of unity and of patriotism; it clearly demonstrates the awesome power of the social media world. The news is at our fingertips. We no longer have to wait until we get home to get in front of our TVs, or even listen to the radio. I need not mention that newspapers are on the brink of total extinction. This can all be credited to the advent of the social media world. It’s a place where everyone has a voice.


It’s changed the way we communicate. If you call or text someone on your cell phone, you might not get an answer. If you really want to talk to them at that moment, you might have to “Facebook” or “FB” them. If you want to know what one of your friends is doing then just check Twitter. They might have “tweeted” that they are taking a shower. Scary thought though; updating a Twitter status while taking a shower? I have a friend who does this.


Social media is a world that I truly believe in. It’s been used for intelligent discussions and an exchange of information. Many non-profits even use it as a way to get petitions signed and getting various causes supported. Businesses use it to advertise and connect with their clients. Major corporations use it to introduce their new products for the first time. It’s not something that will be going away anytime soon. It will grow and continue to advance as time passes.


The biggest craze started with Myspace, the social media powerhouse of yesterday. Now, we are in a worldwide love affair with Facebook. However, it will not end there. There will be different variations of it, but social media itself will not be going anywhere for a while.