Social Networking Sites Buzz With Personal Accounts of Hurricane Irene

Social networking sites have been buzzing with personal accounts and experiences from Rumson and Fair Haven residents that truly personalize the effects of Hurricane Irene on locals.

Social networking sites, especially Facebook and Twitter have become part of the daily lives of many. People, young and old, enjoy sharing their thoughts and ideas with all of their friends within one common forum. When an event that affects everyone occurs, people take the opportunity to share their own accounts of the happening on their profiles. This is what occurred in the anticipation and aftermath of hurricane Irene.

It all began in anticipation of Irene. People on Twitter and Facebook were declaring what was in their very own “storm survival kits”. Some mobile uploaded stashes of candy that would entertain their appetites during the storm, and the more worried folks uploaded pictures of their large flashlight and battery stashes.

Fair Haven resident Emily Ferretti, 17, mobile uploaded a picture of her favorite candy on to Facebook, claiming this was her storm survival kit. This picture can be viewed in the gallery on the right.

Kitty Saba, 17, of Rumson tweeted a picture of how local businesses in Sea Bright were preparing for the storm. Accompanied with the picture, which can be viewed in the gallery on the right, was the caption, “All boarded up!”

Social network users also took this opportunity to share their complaints. Countless statuses concerning crowded grocery stores and lines at gas stations overwhelmed Facebook and Twitter Saturday during the day.

Rachel Pederson, a Fair Haven resident, tweeted, “Adventuring in Acme. Fair Haven residents need to calm down. #ItsNotTheEndOfTheWorld!” in response to the chaos and panic of shoppers stocking up before the storm.

Facebook and Twitter fell silent during the night as many desktop users lost power and laptop users could no longer charge up their batteries. Despite extensive power outages all over the Rumson-Fair Haven area Sunday morning, people found a way to continue sharing their stories.

Pictures upon pictures of damage to the area flooded Facebook and Twitter. People uploaded accounts of tree branches snapped in half in the middle of their yards and of their flooded streets.

Jillian Dupree of Rumson mobile uploaded a picture of the damage experienced by Chapel Beach Club. This picture can be seen in the gallery to the right. From her mobile upload, it is apparent the beaches and beach clubs are definitely going to take some time to recover.

Some were more light hearted about the situation. They uploaded pictures of themselves kayaking in the streets and making the best of a normally frustrating situation.

Fair Haven resident Marissa Steffanelli mobile uploaded a picture of her and her friends kayaking in the street with the caption “Irene is so fun!”

There were some people that even claimed to be “disappointed” by Irene, claiming “it wasn’t worth all the hype.”

Peter Kane of Fair Haven tweeted, “This…is it?” on Sunday morning disappointed by expectations the media built about Irene.

Irene’s aftermath continues to be documented on both Twitter and Facebook, demonstrating the significant role of social media during major events such as hurricane Irene. 

Kane, still without power like many other Rumson-Fair Haven residents tweeted Monday afternoon, “I still turn on every light switch when I enter a room #blackoutlife.”

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New Study Links Social Networking With Alcohol And Substance Abuse

Undated — Social networking is leading kids to substance abuse if a new survey proves correct.

According to a new study, teens who use Facebook and other social networking sites are three times as likely to drink alcohol, twice as likely to use marijuana, and five times more likely to smoke tobacco than teens who don’t frequent the site.

The survey was conducted by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

Seventy percent of teens spend time on these sites every day, according to the survey. That is 17 million 12 – 17 year olds.

Study researcher Joseph A. Califano said looking at pictures of teens getting drunk, using drugs, and passing out contributes to the risky behavior.

Compared to teens who never saw these images on social networking sites, picture viewers where three times more likely to drink alcohol, four times more likely to smoke pot, and three to four times more able to obtain marijuana and illegal prescription drugs.

Dr. Andres Huberman, medical director at North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital in West Hempstead, New York told CBS, “They see these images and there are no moral or educational statements accompanying them, so teens may be left with the impression that this is what the real world is about and that everybody is doing it, so it is OK.”

Nearly 90 percent of parents surveyed as part of the study said they didn’t think social networking sites would make their kids more likely to drink or do drugs.

Califano told WebMD, “It is a phenomenal assault on public health that we subject teens to pictures of drugs, alcohol, or teens being drunk or passed out on the Internet, in films, and on TV shows that are suggestive and glorify drinking and drugging.”

CBS News

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