Virtual Storm

I see the difference with the “New New Media” and how it affected the way we received information on the latest snow storm. I am amazed at the fact how all of the news media outlets now offer links to websites, Twitter and Facebook accounts to follow the latest and greatest storm tracking. People, for example, can even download “Channel 7 News” as an “Ap” on their Blackberrys, iphones, etc. I come from a generation where we waited for the next news broadcast, which was on hourly updates. The AM/FM radio also played a large part to inform us of impending weather storms; it was the first thing you grabbed to make sure it was handy, with batteries, if by chance the lights went out. The new media has now given us visuals, like Skype. I witnessed on television during this last snow storm where the newscaster actually had it set up in her vehicle and the views had real time visuals of the roads and conditions. Webcams allowed motorists to view major highways before heading out in the bad weather. We have become an information driven society, and the more speed the better. Although, all of these means of imparting the information on a major weather event can help us be better prepared, I do believe it takes a little of mystery away from nature’s fury. In addition, with so much information coming at us from so many different sources at once, it can cause confusion. One media source will offer one forecast about the weather and then another media outlet will offer an entire different forecast. It tends to perplex people. I also believe the time of being snowed in is over. Before this “New New Media,” you and your loved ones were bonded together at home and, played board games, or watched movies. The time where we enjoyed each other’s company and actually had face to face communication is over. Today with new media we are taken to a place called cyberspace while stuck in our homes. We are shopping online at our favorite stores, in online classrooms or in chat rooms, blogging, or surfing the net. I guess we create our own virtual environment, and those days are lost in time or until we lose our power, and we are faced with scrambling for any type of juice to power our new media and try to remember how to verbally communicate with each other.