How the Internet, Facebook, and cell phones would have changed UM

[haloworld]

Modern technology has changed our world in such a way that so many of UM's segments would now seem less likely, or even highly preventable.

For one thing, Facebook and social networks have made it much easier to connect with "Lost Loves." I think about all the UM segments on lost childhood friends. For better or worse, the web has made it a lot easier to retain friends from all times in our lives.

Cell phones / personal GPS devices have (and will continue) to change the nature of missing person cases. Anyone who carries a smartphone can, in theory, be located and tracked. Like so many Seinfeld premises, the situation of being hindered by landline-only phones has be quashed in recent years.

On a more abstract level, our culture has changed its attitudes towards unsolved mysteries and the unknown. We have Wikipedia and Google at our fingertips, and are much more likely to believe we have a clear and explainable view of the world. Since 9/11 and the global financial meltdown, people seem less interested in the kinds of crimes and mysteries that were the hallmarks of UM.

What are some ways you think UM would be different today, given modern technology? What UM segments would likely not be mysteries at all if they happened today?

[CuriousMind90]

Modern technology has changed our world in such a way that so many of UM's segments would now seem less likely, or even highly preventable.

For one thing, Facebook and social networks have made it much easier to connect with "Lost Loves." I think about all the UM segments on lost childhood friends. For better or worse, the web has made it a lot easier to retain friends from all times in our lives.

Cell phones / personal GPS devices have (and will continue) to change the nature of missing person cases. Anyone who carries a smartphone can, in theory, be located and tracked. Like so many Seinfeld premises, the situation of being hindered by landline-only phones has be quashed in recent years.

On a more abstract level, our culture has changed its attitudes towards unsolved mysteries and the unknown. We have Wikipedia and Google at our fingertips, and are much more likely to believe we have a clear and explainable view of the world. Since 9/11 and the global financial meltdown, people seem less interested in the kinds of crimes and mysteries that were the hallmarks of UM.

What are some ways you think UM would be different today, given modern technology? What UM segments would likely not be mysteries at all if they happened today?

Angela Hammond would definitely be alive if it happened today. She wouldn't have needed to use a payphone; She would have had a cell phone. Even if she was abducted, while in his car, Rob could've used a cellphone to call the police while pursuing the truck.

Same with the Hobbs murder. If she had a cell phone, she might've kept in touch with her mother that night as she was going along her way.

Same story with the June Ray abduction--Cell phone would have probably not led to it happening.

Really, cell phones could have made a lot of these tragedies impossible, or if not impossible, a lot less likely to occur.

[TracyLynnS]

I think we've got another thread on here on a very similar topic. Lots of ideas there on how 21st century technology could have been beneficial to the UM cases of the 80s and 90s.

[Oldschooler81]

Yeah, in the other thread I think we were saying about how alot of these cases were much less likely to happen. Sure people can forget their phones, or the battery life could run low, or it could break... but I generally do think a 2010 Angela Hammond would most likely have not been kidnapped.

Did anyone else think it was a little surreal, even circa 1996/97 when the internet started making its way into certain cases? As if it was breaking from its more mysterious dark feel by having (then) cutting edge new technology being a part of the cases? I even got a kick out of it when Stack said "doubba-you doubba you doubba you". :lol: If he hadn't died and was still hosting it now, I think the social networking era would make it even stranger.

I think there's less distinction between the real world and the television world these days because of that.

[cocytus]

Cell phones would have made a world of difference in most UM cases.
*Don Kemp could have been located sooner if he had a cell phone on him.
* Most Abductions could have been foiled had the abductee had a cell phone handy.
* Most of "sightings" that people claim to have witnessed could be better confirmed had they had cell phones a/ cameras.
* Most of the fugitives that people claim to have seen could also be more easily tracked w/ cell phones.

However, I'm not sure how much social media sites (other than maybe Twitter) would be of assistance. I have yet to hear of a major case being broken by postings to Myspace or Facebook.And , the last time I checked, both sites "unsolved mysteries" pages were lightly used.

Twitter, because of its immediacy, could definitely be a benefit if somebody would take the time and establish a UM Twitter page and get people to follow it.

[TracyLynnS]

I was just reading the news and there was an article about abusive men using the GPS tracking options on their cell phone plans to hunt down the women who had left them. One guy even tracked his victim right to the women's shelter where she was hiding.

Another guy tracked his wife all the way to her lover's bed. He went home and killed their kids, and himself too, I think.

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/women-stalked-using-cell-phones

It's just crazy that cell phone's gps is now being used by the perps to track their victims. It was only 3 years ago that verizon wouldn't allow Kelsey Smith's parents (the owners of her phone) or the police have her gps coordinates, even when they knew she had been abducted and had not willingly gone missing. I think their excuse was that the information was private and could not be disclosed without Kelsey's permission.

[deuce5000]

However, I'm not sure how much social media sites (other than maybe Twitter) would be of assistance. I have yet to here of a major case being broken by postings to Myspace or Facebook.And , the last time I checked, both sites "unsolved mysteries" pages were lightly used.

The biggest difference I would guess would be with some of the lost loves cases. In cases where the person who was searching knew the names of the person/people he or she was searching for, they could plug it into myspace, facebook, google, etc. and come up with something.

Of course, there'd be plenty of exceptions--people whose names had changed or were never known, e.g.--but this would've cut down many of the possible cases perhaps.

I also imagine that, were UM actively featuring new cases, it would have more cybercrimes--pictures of unknown people engaged in criminal that had been posted to the web, for instance.

[Oldschooler81]

The biggest difference I would guess would be with some of the lost loves cases. In cases where the person who was searching knew the names of the person/people he or she was searching for, they could plug it into myspace, facebook, google, etc. and come up with something.

Of course, there'd be plenty of exceptions--people whose names had changed or were never known, e.g.--but this would've cut down many of the possible cases perhaps.

I also imagine that, were UM actively featuring new cases, it would have more cybercrimes--pictures of unknown people engaged in criminal that had been posted to the web, for instance.

I agree. Granted some people are harder to track down anyway (I'd guess social networking is most popular with people maybe 13-30, and peripherally up to the 40s), but there's online phone searches and such.


Sadly I believe the internet COULD be a good place to solve some of these old cases if they were allowed to be. Back in 2007 when UM was first posted online, they got alot of hits and I'd see some interesting discussion in the comments section. Personally I think it's tragic that Cosgrove/Meurer isn't concerned with that. As much as we get enjoyment and entertainment from the cases, the main purpose of it was to catch criminals, find missing people and such.

[RobinW]

Maybe if cell phones had been around, all those people wouldn't have fallen for the scams of that bogus countess. After all, one of the reasons the victims believed the woman was wealthy because "it's not every day you see someone with a cell phone" :lol: