We live in an era where social media is a huge factor of everyday life. You would be hard pressed to find someone in a modernized country who doesn't have facebook, twitter, or the like. Such an easy and common connection with people across nations has made the sharing of information and events easy, and the suppression of such information rather... problematic. Simply barring reporters from witnessing an event or crisis does not mean that information does not get around. A single picture or post can go viral in a matter of hours, and what was once classified information becomes common knowledge.
It was this key factor that made me realize the importance of social media in the early stages of a "zombie apocalypse". Where traditional news sources such as radio and television fail or are controlled by the government, social media is too big to keep track of. In my series of podcasts, a media blackout is set in place in order to contain the reports of "rabies-like" outbreaks in major cities (particularly Detroit), mostly to stop a national panic. However, reports via twitter and facebook begin popping up, most of which have some very disturbing things to say. Here's an example...
Travis Jennings
Just Now
Saw two dudes in an ally eating another dude... Kept my distance and called the police. A black van showed up and guys in gas masks ran me off. What the f*ck is going on here?
Leaks such as this will be a huge source of early information regarding the outbreaks, and will create a sense of dread that will mount as the podcasts (and the disease) progress.
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