We had some earthquakes yesterday. Again.
This batch, like all the other earthquakes that have rattled OKC over the past four years as we wait for the catastrophic "Big One," shook the ground for a few seconds, didn't cause any major damage or injuries, and was obviously caused by the rising and falling water levels at Lake Arcadia.
The earthquake activity went viral on Facebook, and just like they always do, the pandering Oklahoma City news media was there leading the "OMG EARTHQUAKE!" charge. Let's give credit where credit is due. If there's one thing our media is good at, it's capitalizing off natural disasters for ratings and website page views.
For example, KOCO Channel 5 popped out six Facebook posts about the minor earthquakes that only lasted for a few seconds, and once again, didn't hurt anyone or cause any damage. This was partly due to Danielle Dozier feeling the earthquake live on the air, which I guess was a news event.
Check them out:
Can we get the KFOR Social Media Bandit to give the KOCO social media folks a couple of lessons? For one, you need to try to find a picture of an animal doing something cute during the earthquake. That will really get a reaction. Two, Yahoo!'s front page is typically based upon your internet browsing history. For the most part, it's different for everyone. For example, in addition to the Daniel Dozier earthquake video, there's also a story about Bobby Brown, Mariah Carey, grieving fathers and diabetes. The KOCO employee who took that screenshot probably needs some therapy.
Speaking of the KFOR Social Media Bandit, they dropped the ball on this earthquake. They only posted the typical "Did You Feel It?" earthquake post. I guess it was a busy day for national stories about dogs doing adorable things you wouldn't believe.
Holy crap, 1,231 shares just for a simple post asking people if they felt an earthquake? I know the media's partly to blame for the overhyped coverage, but it wouldn't be so damn easy if we didn't take the earthquake bait every damn time.
Hell, it's so easy to get people to share earthquake posts that Channel 25 even asked the question:
Of course, they have some video to share, too:
So, we've examined how Channel's 4, 5 and 25 have poured fuel over Oklahomans' obsession with shifting plates deep beneath the surface that are in no way caused by injection wells. That just leaves one station. News 9:
(Does that graphic look familiar? Go back to the Channel 25 Facebook post.)
People called 911 to report an earthquake? Come on, Stupid Old People Who Are Obviously Not Aware Of The Internet. Get with the times and support a local news channel's Facebook page instead.
