Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are not just avenues of social interaction, but have become playgrounds for expressing political expression, rallying around social and welfare causes and other social issues. Massimo Tartaglia, the person who threw a statuette at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has become a Facebook sensation overnight.
Tartaglia who threw a replica of Milan’s cathedral is being held overnight by Milan police and has been charged with grievous bodily harm. The attack that left Berlusconi with a bloodied face, has received uniform condemnation from Italian press.
However the fact that Tartaglia, is held in custody and has received immense bad press, has not stopped him from becoming an instant Facebook celebrity. Italian’s from around the world are flocking to Massimo Tartaglia’s Facebook fan page like crazy. As of this moment, the page has more than 50,000 fans, not bad for a page created less than 24 hours back. The page now has more than 100 photos and 500 links of stories related to the event, and is buzzing with comments and discussions.
This sudden outburst of people’s emotions on Facebook is yet, another event showing the power of Social outlets. So while main stream media could decide not to cover and report on popular public sentiments, public emotions and feelings could very easily find avenues of expression at social sites like Facebook.
The forts of main stream media controlled by corporate and power elites are slowly but surely being cracked and destroyed by the tools and possibilities provided by social networks.
I'm surprised that Berlusconi ventured out into such a rowdy crowd; it seems like no major world leader should do that in any case
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Well perhaps he was just trying to show how concerned he was, rush of blood maybe. But each leader should heed your warning
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