The attention such cases generate can vary greatly, as thousands of people are reported missing every year in Virginia. They depend largely, authorities say, on the circumstances of the disappearance, a familys resources and willingness to become involved, the publics curiosity and interest by the news media, which tends to favor some cases over others. But authorities point to another emerging factor they believe has played a significant role in the Harrington case: the publics use of social-networking media. Never before have you been able to get information out via Facebook pages and forums and blogs and Tweets, with the capabilities of the public to get more involved in a case by being able to post their thoughts, suggestions, opinions and insights, said Corinne Geller, public-relations manager for the state police, which is the lead investigative agency in the Harrington case. Geller believes that interest in the Harrington case has been driven in large part by the public through social networking. Five years ago, people didnt have that medium to access, she said. More people can learn about [a case] through the viral networking -- somebody sends a link, somebody sends an e-mail to five of their friends and those five send it to another five. People have so much more access to get involved in a case than say maybe [they did] three to five years ago. Geller noted how some people responding to the Harrington case provided police with cell-phone videos of the concert she attended.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:42:34 +0000
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