THE ‘COMMON’ WEATHERMEN

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At normal times, he is she is the aam aadmi, a normal person who goes to college or works in an office, has fun with his family and friends on weekends and leads a pretty much sedentary life. But come weather crisis, and immediately, the person puts on the hat of a weatherman, constantly updating near and dear ones about the situation outdoors — all thanks to the power of social media!

The week that went by witnessed two major storms simultaneously in India and USA. While the latter, Hurricane Sandy, was much more intense and devastating that its Indian counterpart, which was named Cyclone Nilam, it did bring about a great deal of inconvenience along the eastern coasts of both the countries. But another thing that was common for both was how the common people took it upon themselves to alert not just their close ones but also the general public about the impending crisis.
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ were abuzz with news and updates about the damage caused by the storms and about how far away they were from the impact. Images of the storms’ impact — fallen trees, flooded subways and roads, submerged landmarks and the like — especially got preference when it came to sharing and making them go viral.
Even when the phone lines were down, people took to social websites to let their loved ones know that all was well. People like Binoy Rakesh, an Indian working in the USA, found it easier to communicate with his family back home in India via Internet than over phone.
But of course, when there’s a positive side to something how can the negative side be left far behind? Knowing how anything sensational will catch on fast on the Internet, there were some photos and updates that exaggerated the speed and intensity of cyclone Nilam. With regards to Sandy, a host of fake, photoshopped or file photographs of spectacular hurricane images were making the rounds, adding on to the fear and anxiety that people in USA and around the world were feeling.
All said and done, social media did come to the aid of many at the time of real danger, and the common people turning weathermen at times of need, the world sure feels life a safer place more than ever before!