China's Social Media Used To Find Missing Children

In China, social media is tightly controlled in order to prevent the spread of information the government does not like. But some Chinese are learning to use social media to reunite families. Recently, Peng Gaofeng was reunited with his son, who was abducted three years ago, when he was just three. In general, Child abduction is a large problem in China with thousands of children disappearing each year. Due to the large population, the government struggles to assist with the problem. Xinle's desperate father searched he country looking for him, traveling hundreds of miles. The boy has finally returned home, thanks to the reach of the Internet. Peng started a blog and alerted China's version of Twitter, known as Weibo, with postings of his son's photo in the hope that someone, somewhere, would recognize Xinle. It worked.Peng said "the power of social media had been huge in his search, and if it was not for the Internet, he would never have found this son." Peng's online pleas for help were spotted by Deng Fei, a journalist with a following of 100,000 on Weibo. Out of the goodness of his heart, he reposted Peng's worries and Xinle's photo. Deng contacted the police, and then used social media to show the wonderful reunion, which made headlines news. 



 

Vatican Say I-Phone App Can't Pardon Sins

After the I-Phone released an application designed to prepare the faithful for absolution, the Vatican warned all Catholics that it impossible to confess sins via a smartphone. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, noted that "it is essential to understand that the rites of penance require a personal dialogue between penitents an their confessor. It cannot be replace by a computer application." However, other Catholic officials were not opposed to the new application. Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Diocese of Fort Wayne, Indiana approved the application. It is crucial to note that the Vatican has been cautious with all sorts of social media. They have feared, like many others, that Facebook and Twitter are replacing real genuine interaction. The creators of the application, Little I-APS, explained that they are not trying to replace the standard route to confession, they are simply trying to get more people involved in the process of forgiveness.

Key Findings In 2008 Pew Study

I just found a pretty interesting piece from a 2008 pew study. It shows how media credibility has decreased sharply. Overall, the study is really cool because it basically suggests that people have simply lost trust in the newspapers, radio stations, and other sources of media outlets. For example, in 1998, it has been reported that 42% of people believed each word that they heard from CNN. This figure has dropped to around 30% only 10 years later. Here is the link - http://www.mrc.org/static/biasbasics/Exhibit2-19PewStudyFindsMediaCredibilityPlummets.aspx