What happened in Boston two days ago was undoubtedly tragic.
And when I heard that the explosions went off, I just figured it was some yahoo setting off a massive pack of firecrackers, meaning to scare some runners and spectators. Only later did I realize the horrific magnitude of the situation.
For someone like me, a copywriting and marketing professional who studies at the impact of social media on travel businesses, it wouldn’t be surprising if I hopped onto Facebook, Twitter or some other channel to find out the real story, right away.
Frankly, the problem is the immediate social media torrent often gets it wrong.
So that’s why I waited. Not to wait for the “legitimate” news at 6 PM, but rather the moment it took to get the story right.
An example of this: reports initially came out that there was the often mistaken “person of interest” who happened to be a “dark-skinned” Saudi national. Immediately certain people jumped to conclusions and thought he was the bomber – an Islamic terrorist. It turned out that he was not deemed a suspect.
That’s why I don’t immediately jump on the social media bandwagon when news breaks now. Certain sources can accurately report breaking news. Most don’t.
