Yesterday a rather large fire started in a dry river bed about 3 miles from my home at about 2 PM. A sizable area was evacuated along the riverbed stretching for probably 2 to 3 miles and some distance away from the river. Several homes were lost.
While at work, I was watching videos and pictures posted to Facebook from area residents. I also follow several public safety FB pages that were doing the same. The fire appeared to be rapidly spreading, evacuations were being announced, sirens could be heard from all over the county racing to battle the fire. Finally, at about 3:30 I left work as I was concerned about the spread affecting my home. I took a circuitous route to avoid the areas in immediate danger and approached my home from a direction that was opposite to the direction of the fire. I arrived home and surprisingly could see no smoke and we were less than 3 miles from the fire. I was thankful to say the least. We spent a quiet evening while keeping an eye on the news in case things worsened. We were fortunate that they did not. Today, the fire is 60% contained with a small number of homes lost. Our first responders did a terrific job to prevent this from becoming a disaster of huge proportions.
I say all of this to get to my real point. Social Media and Media in general drives much of what we learn today. The immediacy, the redundancy, and the urgency all have an effect on how we think, what we think, how we interact with other and what actions we take. I understand the benefits that these media types provide, but, we also must understand how they amplify events in ways that may not be beneficial. My trip home from work yesterday, when there was little or no threat to my home, is the perfect example. I can think of many more where my mood, productivity, and responses have been altered by this phenomenon. We all should be aware and take great pains to manage what and how much media that we consume.
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