(Thumbnail Image: Twitter)
BY ERIK SHUTE
Let’s face it. We all know someone who craves to update their Twitter account daily, if not hourly. For Mediaite reporter Tommy Christopher the sensation to tweet could not have come at a worse time. Christopher suffered a heart attack, but instead of reaching to dial 911, he opted for his twitter account.
On CNN’s The Situation Room, Jeanne Moos sat down to talk with the recovered reporter and fill in the gaps between Christopher’s tweets.
“The 42 year old was driving back from the beach with family when he had the heart attack, someone called 911, Tommy texted his five-year-old son to say he was thinking of him, then he started tweeting as paramedics worked.”
Christopher continued to tweet upon entering the hospital to his placement in recovery. The incident joins the list of boundary-pushing actions on social media that begs the question: where should the line be drawn when sharing personal information.
The blog Switched comments on its initial reaction to the news and Christopher’s rationale.
“Our knee-jerk reaction was shocked, mild disgust that someone might be so concerned about their social networking account that they would post minute-by-minute updates on their emergency medical condition... We wonder if technology is moving faster than our common standards of etiquette…”
Christopher’s condition is now stable and can still laugh about his episode. Hopefully he was laughing with NBC’s The Tonight Night Show, where Jay Leno shared the same astonishment in choosing twitter over life.
“The guy’s being rushed to the hospital and he’s in the ambulance tweeting about his heart attack. Unbelievable. The doctor’s aren’t concerned about him losing his life because apparently he never had one. What do you even tweet about? EKG, OMG, I’m DOA. What do you say? Shut up.”
But Christopher’s colleagues at Mediaite supported his tech-savvy behavior. They say the untimely tweets only boosted the support for the then-serious condition.
“The outpouring of Twitter love and support that followed revealed just how much Tommy’s friends and fans truly care about him, and while there is more surgery to come, the worst appears to be behind him.”
And in support of Christopher’s recovery, the blog Wired Update commented on how his actions might not be a groundbreaking, but he is certainly an admirable tweeter.
“Tommy Christopher with Mediaite.com may have made Social Network history as being the first person ever to update his or her Twitter page while having a heart attack. This claim is unverified and likely inaccurate, but nonetheless, it takes a courageous reporter to inform the public even in personal trying times.”
Christopher will live to tweet another day, but would your primal instincts turn you to tweet in the most dire of situations? Let us know what you think in our comments section, Facebook, and yes, even Twitter.
(Thumbnail Image: Twitter)
BY ERIK SHUTE
Let’s face it. We all know someone who craves to update their Twitter account daily, if not hourly. For Mediaite reporter Tommy Christopher the sensation to tweet could not have come at a worse time. Christopher suffered a heart attack, but instead of reaching to dial 911, he opted for his twitter account.
On CNN’s The Situation Room, Jeanne Moos sat down to talk with the recovered reporter and fill in the gaps between Christopher’s tweets.
“The 42 year old was driving back from the beach with family when he had the heart attack, someone called 911, Tommy texted his five-year-old son to say he was thinking of him, then he started tweeting as paramedics worked.”
Christopher continued to tweet upon entering the hospital to his placement in recovery. The incident joins the list of boundary-pushing actions on social media that begs the question: where should the line be drawn when sharing personal information.
The blog Switched comments on its initial reaction to the news and Christopher’s rationale.
“Our knee-jerk reaction was shocked, mild disgust that someone might be so concerned about their social networking account that they would post minute-by-minute updates on their emergency medical condition... We wonder if technology is moving faster than our common standards of etiquette…”
Christopher’s condition is now stable and can still laugh about his episode. Hopefully he was laughing with NBC’s The Tonight Night Show, where Jay Leno shared the same astonishment in choosing twitter over life.
“The guy’s being rushed to the hospital and he’s in the ambulance tweeting about his heart attack. Unbelievable. The doctor’s aren’t concerned about him losing his life because apparently he never had one. What do you even tweet about? EKG, OMG, I’m DOA. What do you say? Shut up.”
But Christopher’s colleagues at Mediaite supported his tech-savvy behavior. They say the untimely tweets only boosted the support for the then-serious condition.
“The outpouring of Twitter love and support that followed revealed just how much Tommy’s friends and fans truly care about him, and while there is more surgery to come, the worst appears to be behind him.”
And in support of Christopher’s recovery, the blog Wired Update commented on how his actions might not be a groundbreaking, but he is certainly an admirable tweeter.
“Tommy Christopher with Mediaite.com may have made Social Network history as being the first person ever to update his or her Twitter page while having a heart attack. This claim is unverified and likely inaccurate, but nonetheless, it takes a courageous reporter to inform the public even in personal trying times.”
Christopher will live to tweet another day, but would your primal instincts turn you to tweet in the most dire of situations? Let us know what you think in our comments section, Facebook, and yes, even Twitter.
