The major global events

The three major global events that came up in my mind were 9-11, natural disasters, and the Darfur genocide. I feel that these events have affected global relations, fueled by the use of media.

I instantly thought of the attack on 9-11 when I was thinking of major global events. I was still in South Korea attending middle school as a freshman when it happened. September 11, 2001, I woke up in the morning and saw the twin towers collapsing on television. It is amazing now when I think back to those days. The media has reached all the way to Korea to report what has happened in America. As devastating as it was for Americans to experience this event, everyone in Korea was in some way, affected by the attack for several months. People always thought of America as an impenetrable country. Media from all around the world broadcasted the footage of the crashing buildings. It was astonishing how the global network can change opinions around the world.

I consider Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti as another major global event. Both had such a huge impact, not only in their own countries, but also on a worldwide scale. Through the use of media, people around the world was notified and asked to support the relief of these countries.

I feel that some global issues should have become more represented in the media. For example, the civil war in Darfur was an underreported event that started to gain media coverage only after the situation started having global effects. Darfur was not the only country to experience conflict at this time. There were many civil wars and minor military conflicts occurring in the Middle East that were not reported in the media. We, however, didn’t have enough information on such important events because the media is more interested in covering stories that would evoke the interests of the public. I feel that it is important for the media to prioritize what they cover in terms of the impact that certain events have on the global community.

The cyberspace often times creates debates for people around the world and changes the way certain global events are understood. It's a way of expressing thoughts and ideas on certain global issues. People have mixed opinions on certain events and the cyberspace acts as a medium for people to openly speak their minds to others. Some information becomes added, or even twisted, in many cases. For example, a lot of conspiracy theories arose after the events of 9-11 that stated the government took part in the terrorism. In such cases, I believe that people pick out what they want to believe and develop their own truths on major global events.