May 7th

Today's lecture made me conscious of how much things the media hided from us, and the potential that Web 2.0 has. Rab explained about Web 2.0 being as an alternative solution for getting information that is not under the influence of big cooperation. Some of the videos that he showed us were shocking. Especially the one which the police officers violently sprayed chemical gas into the peaceful protesters' eyes. I have always had the image of the police being the symbol of justice. Therefore, it has been a surprise for me to know that those malicious acts of the police had been hidden from me for the past 19 years of my life. 

I think that the Web 2.0 played an important role among many people during the Great East Japan Earthquake. I personally don't think that I could have survived that day without social media such as facebook, mixi, and twitter. They were truly my lifeline. Having been stranded in Shibuya alone without any access for phone calls, all I had was my phone (not my iPhone at this point) and 500 yen. Plus, my phone's battery was running out and had no solution for charging it. After buying bread for snack, there was hardly any money left. Therefore, I couldn't do anything but to wait for my phone to die out:) However, things changed. Fortunately, I was able to contact one of my friends who was also stranded in Shibuya via mixi, then we met up down Hachiko. After that, she provided me with a battery charger and food. Also I was able to contact my parents using her docomo phone (au phones didn't function that day). My dad came to pick me up and we were able to walk back home. This day made me realize how much social media can contribute to one's life.

By the way, I wonder what happened to myspace...