MOST MEMORABLE MEDIATED EXPERIENCE

I was in the other side of the world when the twin towers was attacked. Because of the the time differences, it was about 8:30 in the night in Taipei. It was still hot and humid at that time. I was just finishing my class and meeting up with friends. Bunch of us were at a square where full of young people. We were just relaxing and talking. While we were waiting for going to the dinner, a friend ran to us and yelled that the twin towers was hit by an airplane.

Nobody believed him at first, but his face expression was so real. So all of us were trying to get into the near by restaurant which had a TV, and saw the second aircraft hit the other tower. Everyone went quiet, we looked at the TV then looked at each other, no one knew how to react at that moment. It was the America we were talking about! We still went for dinner, however, the attack was the only thing everyone was talking over the dinner. It was kind of surreal feeling to me because I was thousands and thousands miles away and yet I was there watching it as it was happening. http://www.cleancutmedia.com/events/sept-11-2001-world-trade-center-remembering-911

There are over 100 channels in Taiwan, right after the attack and as for the whole following week, no matter what channel it was, news or entertainment, they all became 911 channel. It was on the screen 24/7. The newspaper on the next day, 10 out of 10 pages were full of the horrifying images from the attack. I still remembered the picture of "the falling man". Of course, the internet was the first to response about the attack, lots of video were being upload on youtube. People were calling their families and friends who were in New York that time through phones or skype. It was the most massive communication I have ever seen. All media were focusing on one thing and one thing only, even if we were in the other end of the world.

Later on, when people started investigating the cause of the tragedy, the mass media quickly drew everyone's attention to "Muslim" this perticular religion. People were pointing the fingers at them as they were the represents of terrorists. Although Muslim is a minority group in Taiwan and people did not pay too much attention to them back then, however, after the 911, people looked at them differently.

As a receiver of mass media, I have to admit that media did effect my point of view about Muslims that they were radical and evil. Few years later, I do come to realize that Muslim does not equate terrorist, mainly because I have some friends who are Muslims. I think it as Hanson mentions "new media are always scary", at same sense, new people are scary too, if we never try to understand them.

References:Hanson, Ralph. Mass communication : living in a media world. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2011.