Seattle and Boston

I found it very interesting how this article, From Public Sphere to Public Screen: Democracy, Activism, and the "Violence" of Seattle by Kevin Michael DeLuca and Jennifer Peeples, discusses the public screen and our attraction to violence. There was a specific quote about communication technology that caught my attention. 

DeLuca and Peeples write, "They physically shrink the world while simultaneously mentally expanding it, producing a vast expansion of geographical consciousness. Thoreau's caustic comments about the telegraph have come true. We know and care when Princess Di has a car crash. Texas may not have much to say to Maine, but it is transmitted nevertheless," 

This quote makes me think about Boston and the countless other tragedies that have garnered national attention in the past 12 months. When tragedies like Boston or Newtown happen, there is an outpouring of attention and support from mediums like television, Facebook, Twitter. These outlets have a way of bringing us together. They focus our attention because we are drawn to violence, tragedy, and other spectacles that deviate from the norm.