Terrorist Attacks Dominate Web

As Americans across the nation gathered in the wake of last Tuesday’s tragedy, the Internet’s flow of disconnected information suddenly converged, focusing on a single message of sympathy and grief.

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the Internet played a crucial role in disseminating news and facts.

New Yorkers, desperately seeking to get in touch with their loved ones, flocked to websites posting lists of survivors.

Harvard alumni working in New York City checked in at www.jasonwhitlow.com and myharvardalumni.edu/sept11 to let others in the Harvard community know they were alive.

And colleges and universities across the nation used their websites as a medium to inform students about counseling opportunities and ways for their students to help.

The real change came after the first horrific hours, when almost every American website was altered in deference to the tragedy.

One sentiment dominated the websites of almost every business and organization in the country: “We’re sorry.”

More than a week after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, messages of condolence continue to occupy a very prominent place on the homepages of corporate giants such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.

Websites—normally so protective of their freedom of speech and expression—suddenly reevaluated their content.

Many websites engaged in temporary self-censorship.

“Counter-strike,” an online computer game where players compete against each other as terrorists and counter-terrorists, was temporarily suspended.

Humor sites such as TheOnion.com decided not to publish any new material.

The Onion will not resume its normal publishing schedule until Sept. 26.

Students who frequent such sites have said that, though disappointed, they understand and respect such decisions.

Todd L. Schulte ’04, who said he frequently reads the online version of the satire magazine, noticed that it hadn’t been updated last week.

“I’ve been a little disappointed,” he said, “but obviously it’s the right thing to do.”

Shelley H. Carson, a lecturer in the psychology department, said the forum provided by the Internet for expressing sentiments of sorrow, sympathy and disbelief can help to foster a sense of community among those struggling to deal with last week’s tragic events.

“Expressing condolences is a form of action and can therefore bring comfort to both the the writer and the reader of the condolence,” Carson said.

This atmosphere of sympathy and support continues to pervade online content.

Though ESPN.com, for example, has returned to its sports-reporting domain, a link in the upper right corner of its home page provides information on “Talking to kids about tragedy.”

Even online comics such as Doonesbury.com are featuring links to the latest news.

—Crimson staff writer Kate L. Rakoczy can be reached at rakoczy@fas.harvard. edu.