Until yesterday I had not paid much attention to the number one trending topic on Twitter for the last week.
For readers who are not Twitter users, a trending topic is represented by what’s called a hashtag (#) and is placed next to words or a phrase that is used to show support around a topic, subject, cause or following.
As an example, #Lakers was a top 10 trending topic for much of the NBA Finals.
For the last week, and since the election, #IranElection has been a hot trending topic, occupying the number one position for most of the last 7 days.
Frequently trending topics do not pull me in. And this was the case with #IranElection. Yes, I was well aware of the election, the results, the public outcry, and the growing tension.
Then yesterday I clicked.
I clicked through to #IranElection and started reading. Individual tweets, blog posts, and pictures brought the full impact of the events, real time, to my conscious.
And as a Twitter user for the last 10 months this was not a new phenomenon. Over time many events have captured my attention in a unique way that only new media can deliver.
This time though I clicked on Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible You Tube Videos and went t0 #9 – June 20: Wounded Girl Dying [GRAPHIC CONTENT].
With a title like that I hesitated. Understand that I am the person that chooses not to view bodies during viewing at funerals, choosing instead to remember the person as they were – full of life.
And yet curiosity got the better of me and I watched the video.The warnings were there for a reason as it was gruesome.
The image of this young woman looking straight into the camera, straight at me, moments from death was as chilling an image as I have seen.
Later in the day we learned that this young lady was named Neda. The image above is taken from the video via a post at DavidHenderson.com who reports that she was shot by a police sniper while standing with her father watching protesters.
What I saw in those eyes was, to me, a call to witness the unthinkable. In those eyes I saw a women saying to the world that she had fallen victim to events that, in this country, we can only imagine – and choose not to.
Her last glimpse of life was into that camera, at me, and I will not soon forget.
Update: Since this was written Neda has captured world wide attention. She is being held out as a symbol for the struggles of the Iranian people and for the violence since the election. For more about Neda read Who was Neda? Slain woman an unlikely martyr from CNN.com
