Sandy Floods Instagram
Hurricane Sandy -- you’ve heard of it -- has produced all the usual social media ephemera which accompany major events, including the obligatory Twitter parody accounts, narrated in suitably belligerent fashion. Meanwhile the powers that be are making admirable use of social media to keep the public updated about the monster storm, which some are calling (perhaps prematurely) the storm of the century.
But the killer -- um, let’s make that “really useful” -- app for Sandy may be Instagram, which has been flooded with hurricane-related photos, including images of people preparing for the hurricane and various extreme weather events, according to Poynter.org, which cited Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom.
Systrom told Poynter.org that as of earlier today, people were posting images tagged with the #sandy hashtag at a rate of 10 pictures per second, with more than 244,000 photos bearing that hashtag, and over 144,000 tagged #hurricanesandy (these numbers are probably a lot higher now).
Of course, as with any gripping event, some people feel the need to take it to the next level with fake images, some of which are simply repurposed photos of previous situations involving heavy weather, some of which are clearly doctored with varying degrees of expertise.
Among the more interesting repurposed shots noted by Mashable were photos of clouds looming low over the Manhattan skyline, in a dramatic photo first posted on the WSJ Web site last year; the Statue of Liberty apparently facing 100-foot-tall waves in a local news report, which turned out to be a doctored image lifted from the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”; and a military honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier enduring driving rain, which turned out to be from September.
None of this detracts from the power of real images of Sandy, which may well become the most-photographed weather event in history (at least until the next hurricane), thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and tablets equipped with digital cameras. On that note, I was reminded of some trivia I learned earlier this month from Chas Edwards, head of publisher development and chief revenue officer for Luminate, who claimed that more photos have been taken in the last 12 months than in all human history.
Recent Social Media & Marketing Daily Articles
-
Social Media Boosted Organ Donor Registrations 2000% June 18, 4:03 p.m.
One of the common criticisms of social media activism is that it people’s interest in causes ...
-
Turkey Targets Social Media "Provocateurs" June 17, 1:42 p.m.
There’s a long and inglorious history of authoritarian governments targeting vaguely-defined “provocateurs” for exercising their right ...
-
SocialTwist Analyzes Influencers June 14, 1:44 p.m.
One of the main advantages of social media, from a marketing perspective at least, is that ...
-
LGBT Adults Use Social Networks More June 13, 6:27 p.m.
It’s no secret Americans have taken to social networking in a big way, and lesbian, gay, ...
-
Over Half of U.S. Social Media Users "Like" Brands June 12, 5:11 p.m.
Most Americans who use social media have “liked” a brand on social media, with 57% affirming ...
-
Surprise: Social Media Use Associated With Narcissism, Other Great Qualities June 11, 4:36 p.m.
Narcissism, feelings of superiority, and vanity are all innate characteristics of humanity, but social media may ...
-
Social Media Dominates Smartphone, Tablet Usage June 10, 5:17 p.m.
Social media accounts for roughly a third of the time Americans spend on smartphones, and also ...
-
Employees Say Social Media Increases Productivity June 7, 4:34 p.m.
Contrary to the fears of neurotic bosses, social media access in the workplace actually increases productivity, ...
-
Social Media Has Cost One in Ten Young Adults a Job June 6, 12:29 p.m.
Social media norms are still evolving, and eventually people will probably wise up about what they ...
-
Turkish Twitter Users Arrested June 5, 5:10 p.m.
Wednesday brought more disturbing parallels between Turkey and its less democratic neighbors, as several dozen Turkish ...
Be the first to comment on "Sandy Floods Instagram"
Leave a Comment