Missing MH370 lights up social media MARCH 13, 2014 How could a modern passenger jet disappear without a trace? This has been the topic of conversation for the past five days not only in Malaysia, but the world over. The New York Times reported that on chat-rooms frequented by pilots and aviation experts, there was more informed discussion of the technical possibilities, such as a sudden decompression or mass electrical failure, and of how a transponder could be shut down. But even the best-informed were arriving at a logical impasse. The one constant, the NYT report said, was the factual void at its centre which gives rise to a lot of speculation. “A main ingredient for rumour generation and transmission is uncertainty,” Nicholas DiFonzo, a social psychologist at Rochester Institute of Technology and author of The Watercooler Effect told NYT. The suggestion of continuing danger is also keeping millions tuned in for the latest news. “Anything that hints at making us feel less secure or threatened evokes our attention,” Dr DiFonzo said. “It’s hard-wired into us.” The main reason for the fascination, he added, may be the sheer mystery, which allows everyone to play detective. The NYT report said many American newscasters, after saying that “of course it is premature to draw conclusions,” have veered toward hypotheses about terrorism as they host the usual scramble of former Federal Aviation Administration investigators, pilots turned authors, security experts and oceanographers. Fox News was most aggressive with the terror theory. “I’m not afraid of the word terrorism,” Sean Hannity said as he pushed his expert guests to agree that given the latest statements from Malaysia, the plane appeared to have altered its route, foul play seemed all but certain. In China, government officials are playing down the speculation on terrorism. While most of the republic’s energetic bloggers were restrained in their comments, some had speculated that the Malaysian military had mistakenly shot down the plane after it abruptly changed course, then covered up the action after realising the mistake. In Iran, perhaps embarrassed that two of its citizens onboard had carried false passports, an influential lawmaker on Tuesday called the entire episode a form of psychological warfare by the United States to “sabotage the relationship between Iran and China and Southeast Asia”, the NYT report said. The report said the passionate global interest, the mystery and modern technology came together more constructively with a crowdsourced digital search of Asian waters organised by DigitalGlobe, a satellite imaging company based in Colorado. The company has made available new satellite photographs of thousands of square miles of ocean in the target areas, and by Tuesday, more than 80,000 volunteers had scoured patches for signs of debris, according to The Denver Post. Some of the most technically informed comments were posted on the Professional Pilots Rumour Network, a Britain-based chat room that despite its name is widely read in the aviation world and is one of the few “pilot chat room” sites that is not actually a matchmaking service, said the NYT. The comments, many from people claiming to be experienced pilots and crew members, who did not give their real names, included discussions of radar capabilities and of how communications are supposed to transfer between Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. The comments also centred on how sudden depressurisation and lack of oxygen, known as hypoxia, could quickly render a crew and passengers unconscious. Of the lack of distress signals, a writer from Pennsylvania who said he was an experienced transcontinental pilot wrote, “With CPDLC, HF, VHF, ACARS and Satcom, I’ll find some way to get a message out under duress.” It would take “five seconds, top,” he said. Asserting that wreckage would be visible if there had been an explosion or structural failure, he posited either a hijacking or a “hypoxia event leading to incapacitation of all life on board.” A British writer responded, “If hypoxia is correct, then why did all means of communication, manual or automated, cease so abruptly?” However, there is also some wild speculation. One crew member wrote: “Could this aircraft literally have been ‘stolen’? Was there a cargo on board that organisations could seriously want and would take whatever measures to secure it?” Some also commented on the confusing statements released by Malaysian authorities. “I think we’ve been spoiled by all the NTSB briefings,” with their “calm, clear delivery of information and faultless handling of journalistic queries,” a British commentator wrote, referring to the US National Transportation Safety Board. – March 13, 2014.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:15:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015