The Internet and #JeSuisCharlie

The Internet wasn't always a medium that allowed such freedom of expression and online activity but the introduction of "Web 2.0" allowed for there to be more interaction between people, brands and the companies that produce those brands.
The amount of freedom granted to individuals on the internet is a good thing but there are a few bad aspects that were brought about by granting so much freedom. Cyber bulling, intimidation, and general insensitivity toward fellow Internet users are all products of "Web 2.0"...HOWEVER,  I feel that considering the amount of people that use the Internet, it is bound to have a few users who have more than just a few loose screws. The increase in interaction between people on the Internet has a few bad effects but its clear that the good overshadows the bad tremendously.


One hashtag, #JeSuisCharlie (I am Charlie) awoke the whole world and for a quite lengthy period of time the whole world was united by this very hashtag. I think the impact that the incident had on the whole would not have even been possible had it not been for various informative social networks like twitter. Twitter is arguably the best source/ conveyor of the latest news all around the world...and probably the leading celebrity killer in the world too. The level of unity, compassion and outrage shown by the world is a clear indication of the positive effects that social networking and the internet has on the world.

#JeSuisCharlie was reportedly the most popular twitter hashtag in history but not the biggest hashtag. The number of tweets in France alone amounted to almost 5 million and it was literally tweeted about on every continent in the world. An animated version of the heat map is available and it shows the time lapse between the tweets and where the tweeting actually started 

The Hashtag was brought about by an incident in France where a group of armed attackers entered the premises of a French satirical magazine and killed twelve people. The catastrophic incident has been labelled an alleged terrorist attack. The murder  of the cartoonists sparked protests in France that were attended by some very important figures from parts of the world like the British Prime Minister and others.

The news spread like wild fire over the Internet and the fact that the Internet is a key tool to our lives was emphatically emphasised to all those who we're still playing around with dinosaur media and reading stale news from newspapers. Social networks like twitter are not only important for spreading news but are also crucial tools that can be used to raise issues of substantial social importance...

Oh! It was also used to expose the Zimbabwean Presidents’ moment, which was of course turned into a scene from the matrix on twitter

                                                   













The Internet has proven to be resourceful to almost everyone because the degree of seriousness is determined by the person that is is surfing the Internet. It has everything that a newspaper, television channel and radio station have all in one. Its importance is understood by most publications and that is why newspapers are now available online, TV shows can be accessed online and books can be even bought and stored as an electronic book. An important aspect that the Internet has that TV, Radio and Newspapers have not mastered yet is the amount of coverage it gets. Almost every being on the planet is able to access the Internet and read up on the latest news on Twitter, Facebook or even Youtube. Internet is a force to be reckoned with and i really foresee no end to it but rather improvements.