Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Michael Jackson's Death

The Washington Post, similar to newspapers around the world, is reporting on the Michael Jackson memorial at the Staple Center in Los Angeles. The article, entitled "Private Funeral Begins; Crowd Gathers at Staple Center," concludes, "...Jackson's Facebook page was clocking up to around 20 new fans per second and was hovering around the 7 million mark -- making it the most popular page on the social media outlet."

View Michael Jackson's Facebook page here.

Questions to Consider:
1. Ask students why they think that so many people are interested in Michael Jackson's death. What does this reveal about human nature? What role does music play in life? Does it play a different role in death?

2. Challenge students to define Facebook? What is a social network site? What can we learn about human nature from the popularity of social network sites? What kinds of skills does somebody need to use social networking skills effectively? In what ways can these skills benefit people in other areas of life?

3. Do students think that the Michael Jackson memorial deserves so much attention? Why or why not?

No comments:

Post a Comment