Digital Storytelling: Coping with the Boston Bombings

Me & my Dad: Mile 7

If there's one thing that is for absolute certain in this world, it is that nothing is permanent. Despite our greatest efforts to live our lives like we have no expiration date, whether that's a thoughtful decision or simply a result of oblivion, impermanence is the constant thread.  Sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind us of the fragility of life; my reminder came on April 15, 2013 in a hotel room on the 38th floor of the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Downtown Boston, where I had a beautiful view of the city skyline and the runners crossing the finish line of the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. 

Marathon Monday is my favorite holiday and has been for a very long time.  My dad ran his first Boston Marathon nearly two decades ago and hasn't missed one since. Nothing beats the energy, excitement, and determination! Every year I follow the same spectating route along the course that ultimately leads me downtown to the finish. For the past few years I've just met my dad at a hotel room right off the finish line (because the actual finish line is CRAZY) that his running club reserves for finishers and their families. That's where I was on April 15 at 2:49pm when the first explosion went off at the finish line.   

We are fast approaching the one-year anniversary of the Boston Bombings and so much has happened since then.  In case you've missed it, here's a quick recap of some of the highlights: 

• There was a massive manhunt to capture the suspected bombers. 
• The One Fund was created almost immediately to raise money for the victims.  
• David Ortiz got sassy.  
• Touching tributes surfaced at The London Marathon.  
• The Boston Bruins showed their love as a sold-out crowd sang the National Anthem in solidarity.  
• The One Run for Boston ran across the country. 

And, to preserve the stories and experiences of Marathon Monday 2013, Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive, was created.

Online Digital Archives

Storytelling is one of the oldest art forms that helps to persevere the experiences and knowledge of previous generations. As communication styles have evolved with technology, it's only appropriate that storytelling has also evolved to include digital archives.

From a social media perspective, gathering pictures, videos, and examples of social media is a wicked good idea because visual storytelling is so influential.  Check out the infographic that was featured in a recent blog post about the power of visuals and storytelling.  From a personal perspective, sometimes words don't do stories justice.  Sometimes pictures and videos are a more effective way to describe experiences and grieve.

Our Marathon, a community project that is hosted and maintained by Northeastern University, was modeled closely after the September 11th Archive.  It is a online space for people to contribute their stories, pictures, videos and social media.


In the spirit of using videos and pictures to tell a story, check out the video below, "2013 Boston Marathon Bombings: Six Months Later," to see the results of 6-months of archiving and hear from the co-founders of Our Marathon. 

Or, if you'd rather read about it, the Our Marathon website explains the mission so eloquently:

"'Our Marathon' will allow the public to explore not only what happened during the event, but also how the event was experienced by Bostonians, visitors to the city, and those many members of the 'Boston diaspora' who were far away but deeply engaged in the unfolding events.  The archive will serve as a long-term memorial, preserving these records for students and researchers, providing future historians with invaluable, local windows into an important national event...The bombing changed lives in ways small and large and in ways that were immediate and more enduring.  This is a place for those images, emotions, and experiences to be shared and for us to understand the event in its broad, community-wide dimensions." 

Our Marathon & Social Media Platforms 

Word cloud made from One Marathon archives in July 2013

But what good is anything in our society without a social media presence?  Why of course, Our Marathon has a Facebook account, a Twitter handle, and a Tumblr. From what I can tell, their accounts are well synced: when something is posted to Facebook, it is also posted to Twitter and Tumblr. 

It doesn't appear that there's much conversation that happens on these pages, but that makes sense... they are trying to drive traffic to the digital archive and encourage followers to contribute their own story:  no story is too small. Recently, Our Marathon won an 2013 Digital Humanities Award for "Best Project for Public Audiences." Digital Humanity Awards allow the public to nominate resources that exemplify talent and expertise in a few different areas.  It is the great people of this world who are entirely responsible for nominating and voting for their favorite resources.

In the archive itself, there is an entire section dedicated to posts relating to social media. Currently, there are 236 items that have been tagged as "social media."   The collection is fascinating, with posts ranging from Instagram pictures of the city as it continues to heal and commemorate, to snapshots of what was happening on social media on the day of the marathon.   Below is an example of what contributor sunfighter17 submitted. 

While nothing may be permanent in this life, digital archives sure are trying to make things more permanent! 

Our Marathon & Me

View from the 38th Floor, looking down at the finish area

Preserving social media as historical documentation in an organized and purposeful way is a relatively new territory... as a society, we've been in the business of creating content and a LOT of it.  It will be fascinating to look back on the September 11th archive and the Boston Marathon Bombings archive in the future and reflect on how people coped with tragedy in the year 2013.  Moreover, how did we communicate with each other and create community?  

On Marathon Monday, I heard and felt the bombs before I saw them.  Despite my efforts, every time I attempt to write down my story I have to stop because I have yet to find the words to adequately describe what happened that day.  Sneaking out the back of a hotel, walking the desolate streets of Boston, the invisible wounds of trauma. Thankfully, there is great comfort in knowing that Our Marathon is waiting with open arms. 

Marathon Monday is my favorite holiday and always will be.  As of the posting date, there are are only 54 days until the 118th Boston Marathon... I'll be there,will you?