The commons of the tragedy CSTB Meeting on the Internet under crisis Lee Rainie - Director CSTB Meeting on the Internet under crisis 3/6/02

September 11 – Internet population fell Number of American adults online dropped more than 10% on September 11 and 7% on September 12 Number of email users dropped 17% in the week after the attack Drops in the number of those pursuing hobbies online (-50%) purchasing goods (-50%) seeking medical information (-40%) browsing for fun (-35%) doing work-related research (-24%)

What was up More intense and prolonged searching and content creation News rose 32% Instant messaging rose 18% Government Web sites Charity and volunteer sites Online community activity rose nearly fourfold

Overall activity online 69% of Internet users got some kind of news and information about attacks online 50% sought some news about attacks 33% financial market reaction 23% searched for info. about Osama Bin Laden 21% sought info. about Afghanistan 15% sought info. about victims and survivors 13% sought info. about Islam 12% visited commemorative Web sites

Email content 72% used email in some way related to events grieving, consoling, expressing patriotism, finding long-lost friends, making/receiving prayer requests, hashing out military and political options

What didn’t work 32% of all Americans said they had trouble placing phone calls on Sept. 11 7 million people say they turned to the Internet to make contact with loved ones after they had trouble using the phone 43% of Internet users had trouble accessing Web sites they wanted to reach on Sept. 11 19 million eventually reached site 18 million went to other sites 10 million gave up on using Internet to get news

The Internet: A useful supplement 79% say TV was the source of most of their news Only 6% of Internet veterans say they got most of their news online Internet users were twice as likely to place calls to key family members as write them emails and half again as likely to make calls to friends as write them emails

The virtual commons: Raw emotion “This is absolute chaos… a sheer tragedy…how could this happen here?” -- Tori Hill, Yahoo’s Sept11 reaction site  “I wonder if I will ever sleep peacefully again after seeing those bodies falling. I wonder if I will ever stop crying.” --- Blogger named ponygirl at Blogger.com   Others reacted with fear and anger, such as this member of the Well: “I have numerous friends and business associates who work in the WTC complex. We are devastated. I want blood, now.” raw emotion hunt for details consoling practical advice deeper information digging and news dissemination political discussion

The virtual commons: Hunt for details “People, please keep these reports coming. I have friends in New York but right now this is my only source of information. All the news sites are totally jammed.” -- Markmark33 in an AOL chat room sandman71 posted on ABCnews.com – at 10:38 a.m. on Sept. 12 “Facts. Please keep giving us facts. I have had such trouble reaching this site. I’m afraid to refresh the page because I might lose contact. What is happening? Where is it happening? What will happen next? Where are we safe? How can we respond? Information will help us and maybe even begin to heal us. Please, please tell us everything you know.”   Others however, decided to turn off their computers: “This is definitely a case where online sources are going to lag well behind TV. It's on all the major channels. I think all Americans should be let out of work/school to watch; it's major history. What I mean is that this is one of those times to abandon your computer and go turn on a TV. Any TV.”

The virtual commons: Tests of faith “I don't know what I believe anymore. I am not even sure how I feel about God. I use to believe all things happen for a reason but have since decided that is an idiotic way to believe…I have decided to leave Beliefnet for a while and think things out. I have been a member nearly a year and met some pretty wonderful people. I will miss you all. Please pray for me.” -- corinthianxx on Beliefnet.com To which a respondent named Zion wrote: “While your faith is tested corintianxx, I will try to find ways to double my prayers for you. If ever you want to find a “screen to cry on” you can write me at xxxx”

The virtual commons: Grief and consoling “I cry at strange times in strange places and at the strangest triggers. Today I went grocery shopping and started crying when I noticed the biggest selling Halloween costume: A rack of Firefighter costumes. Kids want to be like their heroes and many kids have seen and decided that wrestlers and cartoon characters, comic book characters aren't heroic enough for them anymore. I cried while I watched a little boy try on the helmets. Right there in the store. Is it just me?” --LadyMarchHare on The Well Gensingg34 at a GeoCities commemorative site wrote: “Many of you reading this will sometimes be depressed, so write to me what you feel…. And I will write back reminding you of all the good you can still see in the world – those heroic rescuers, the people on Flight 77 in Pennsylvania. Then we can think together about ways you can do some good in the world, too.”

The virtual commons: Practical advice Are you okay? How can I help? Here is the place you can go to donate blood, attend a meeting, volunteer, attend a service Here are things you can do to help in your community Here is the latest news I’ve heard ·        58% of Americans contributed to relief efforts ·        48% attended a religious service ·        17% tried to donate blood ·        10% attended meetings Accompanying the surge of participation with a kind of grassroots news gathering and dissemination process. It fed a growing hunger for news and information. ·        23% looking for information about Islam (about half the number getting information about financial markets) ·        21% info about Afghanistan ·        33% were checking the jittery financial markets ·        about 10% consulted foreign news sources

The virtual commons: Political discussion “I fear he [President Bush] will use excessive force which will lead to more terrorist attacks and possibly war. I would feel so much better if Clinton was in office.” -- donation111 in the Yahoo Sept. 11 attack site “I am not a Bush fan, I didn't like his dad and I don't like his brother, however he has my full support as leader of the country, his speech writers are remarkable and it [the President’s speech to Congress on September 20] was delivered to perfection.” -- janesommers in International Women’s Forum

The new online normalcy More news searching More interest in government and politics More community participation More spiritual activity But return to the usual levels of interest in other activities A new seriousness online – part of a broader pattern that takes place as people “grow up” online