To begin the conversation, Nanabhay asked the necessary question: “How does the society at large benefit from social media?”
This question often accompanies arguments and, as a result, it echoed throughout the entire presentation. But despite a myriad of answers, both Ito and Nanabhay agreed that social media has been, at the very least, instrumental in educating the public about news stories around the world. They even intimated that, perhaps, social media sites like Twitter helped motivate the global following of these particular events.
For example, Nanabhay said that the day Hosni Mubarak stepped down, he saw people “light up” — both online and in person through the Egyptian news channels.
Ito felt the same sentiment after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, especially as persecuted Libyans sent messages of heartfelt sympathy and solidarity to the suffering in Japan.
“I was so hopeful when I saw people from all over the world sending encouragement to the Japanese,” he said. “You can transmit courage and emotion over the network.”