Before reading your dissertation I was completely unaware of the Bhopal gas leak. This just goes to show how uninformed Americans are of international crises. I remember watching a TED talk where the presentation dealt specifically with America media's lack of equality on international stories. I further researched the incident and discovered that, for being the worst industrial accident in history, very little has been done to raise awareness of the disaster.
The incident occurred in 1984, however the issue is still relevant today due to the nature of the crisis. The leaked gas was actually a poisonous pesticide that caused long-term health effects. The list of effects includes eye problems, respiratory problems, and birthing defects. The reason social media could have played a role is because the aftermath of the crisis was a crisis within itself. The thousands of casualties were unanticipated, and furthermore doctors and hospitals were misinformed on how to treat the pesticide poisoned patients. Although it is too late to go back and provide India with the proper technology tools to communicate with the medical industry, it is not too late for social media to help victims. The U.S. supreme court filed a class-action suit on behalf of the victims. Though the case is currently pending, many affected Indians remain unaware that they are entitled to a part of the settlement of the United States case. The best way to get the word out to these victims is social media. It does not really matter which platform (facebook or mobile phone sms) the important matter is that a line of communication be opened between what is happening with the U.S. court case and the victims of the disaster.
In essence, by providing communication through social media to Indians we are really benefit India and the U.S. Americans are more or less unaware of the happenings of the Bhopal gas leak due to the geographical insignificance and the overshadowing of other international crisis stories. At the same time, Indians are unaware of the aftermath efforts being conducted by U.S. courts. In other words, both America and India will gain complete insight on the crisis as well as the aftermath of the crisis, everyone wins.
