Michael Jackson’s Death Marked by Tweets

I have a confession to make: I have a Twitter account. I crumbled under the pressure, really; with so many references to celebrity Tweets popping up in various news articles, I felt somewhat obligated to begin “following” my favorite celebrities and organizations. 
 The process of checking my Twitter quickly became quite addictive. I grew fascinated with the countless personal anecdotes and photos so many celebrities posted to their profiles, feeling like I was a part of their lives in some small, insignificant way. 


The love affair ended quickly.
 I began to grow disillusioned with the Twitter world around the time of Michael Jackson’s death. I was “following” CNN at the time, and their constant coverage of the hours leading up to the King of Pop’s death quickly began feeling superficial and disrespectful. Similarly, TMZ tweeted constant new conspiracy theories about MJ’s cause of death, each one more far fetched than the last. As the posts spilled across my computer screen, intertwined with slews of ‘RIP’ messages from famous faces, I couldn’t help but think about his children. Their father died that afternoon, but his passing was marked by a myriad of questions from strangers about drug use and foul play.
 It was especially disappointing to see that CNN, a typically reliable source of straightforward news, fell into the same pattern as gossip networks like TMZ and E! Online. Even President Obama made a statement about the King of Pop’s passing, garnering major attention from the press. 


While mass media can be a wonderful tool, it can also be dangerous in excess. Michael Jackson’s death became a spectacle and media frenzy, with Google.com becoming temporarily inaccessible on the day of his death due to the intense number of searches.The unrestricted freedoms possessed by web-based journalists allowed for a constant exploration of the possible causes of Jackson’s death, as well as countless photo montages and music video tributes. Although the grief and overflowing love expressed by Michael Jackson’s fans was touching, the weeks following his death were mainly marked by a circus-like hysteria. 


Situations like these make me wonder whether or not Twitter will have a positive effect on our society. Without the constant updates from news sources like CNN, people would have been forced to grieve for Michael in a more subdued, less gossip-oriented manner. Although instant news updates can be valuable, maybe some things--like death--are best left unexplored, at least for the first 48 hours.

-Sarah