Well - I'm in Italy! The culture here is so different and this post will hopefully give you an idea of what social media here is like.
I've read a few news articles about how social media is getting more and more popular here but I've noticed that it's no where as big as it is in the states. There are around 61 million people in Italy and only 43% of them use the internet. Even just being in the hotel we're in has shown me how high speed internet isn't as widely available as it is in other countries.
I'm in Rome with my sister currently and we've heard quite a bit of talk about earthquakes. In the past an earthquake nearly destroyed the southern half of the Colosseum and also ruined part of the Roman Forum. Turns out some people actually used social media to keep up with their friends and family during a recent earthquake (or terremoto as they call it) in a city near Rome called Abruzzo. This article states that "For a couple of hours Twitter was the only source available to Italian people to share news and information and, most of all, try to contact friends and relatives living in Abruzzo." 1,500 people were injured and another 50,000 did not have shelter. Social networks allowed people to share information about how to donate and give blood throughout the crisis.
A few social networks they use here that may be new to us are Netlog (which has 75 million members) and Friendfeed so check them out if you want!
First of all-hope you're having a good time!! :) Good post though-it's weird to think that other countries that we would assume are as tech-savvy as our own, may not be as into social media as we think! I think it's interesting that Italy doesn't have as many people using or even embracing the internet. Its also neat to see that they used it after their earthquake for crisis reasons, just like Japan, and Egypt before that. Maybe Italy will see the importance of communication through social media and embrace it eventually!
ReplyDeleteYeah I hope so! It could be really helpful. There was no access to TV and news stories took hours to come out. Thanks, Lainey!
ReplyDeleteCool post! I honestly never really thought about social media outside the States. I am also surprised about how behind Italy is. I would think (especially in terms of internet usage) that they would not be that far behind us. Anyways, I also like that they have other social media sites that are not the same as the ones we are familiar with. It just goes to show that every country can be unique in how they use social media! Be safe!!
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