Department of Sociology
The Ethics of the Event: On Responding to Crisis in a New Mediated Environment
Wednesday 1 June 2011, 4.15PM to 5.30pm
Speaker(s): David Hill, PhD Student, Department of Sociology, University of York
During the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 26 November 2008 ten insurgents advanced on the city armed with automatic weapons, killing 172 people in 60 hours. Significantly, coverage of a major world event was found first in new media formats such as Twitter, Flickr, Wikipedia and Google maps – with conventional 24-hours rolling news lagging somewhat behind. What occurred here was an event not only of big proportions but also of global reception. Further, much of this coverage was available to the very people caught up in the attacks.
In this presentation, after highlighting the salient elements of the attacks, I will assess how we can understand what happened as an event as well as how they were received as an event – not only by a global audience but also by locals caught in the midst. I will conclude the presentation by outlining and exploring the moral impracticalities wrought by an event experienced both virtually and physically: how can we respond to the event when it is present and simultaneously presented as an image; when we are actors but at the same time spectators?
In this presentation, after highlighting the salient elements of the attacks, I will assess how we can understand what happened as an event as well as how they were received as an event – not only by a global audience but also by locals caught in the midst. I will conclude the presentation by outlining and exploring the moral impracticalities wrought by an event experienced both virtually and physically: how can we respond to the event when it is present and simultaneously presented as an image; when we are actors but at the same time spectators?
Location: W/222