Internet into overdrive as millions express Obama hopes
Agence France-Presse | 01/21/2009 2:21 AM
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PARIS - Millions around the world commented, twittered and prayed as they watched Barack Obama's inauguration live on Tuesday on the Internet, pinning their hopes on a new world order and era in American politics.
The frenzy saw the likes of social networking forum Facebook, CNN and the New York Times streaming the inauguration live via websites with millions scrambling to sign in, watch the trailblazing proceedings live from their homes and offices... and air their views for all the world.
"You stand today as a beacon of hope for the world," wrote Farayi Makwanya from Britain. "Change has come to the US and indeed to the whole world. People of all races are smiling..."
One US blogger noted that the National Mall, where the ceremony was held, was once a slave market and that the White House was built by black slaves. An Indian meanwhile feted the entry of the first black man in the White House.
The leit-motif was unbridled optimism.
Mathilde La Bardonnie scrawled "hope" 16 times like celebrated US author Gertrude Stein who famously used the line "a rose is a rose is a rose."
Unflattering references to Obama's predecessor George W. Bush quickly clogged up the blog sites.
A post on the New York Times site said the "brass band picks up as if to drown the boos" accompanying Bush and outgoing Vice-President Dick Cheney and noted that both men had grim expressions in reponse.
Hector Florimon hoped there would be "no shoes thrown," and Ryan Vaarsi said he thought the inauguration was "damn near a rock concert."
Angela D'Ottavio said she was "watching the old white guys leave." And Christiaan Froeburg had the simple message: "Obamaland Rules!"
But the frenzy was not without dangers.
Hackers were using dozens of fake websites linked to Obama's inauguration to spread a virus on the Internet, a security company warned Tuesday.
According to the firm Panda Security, more than 70 websites are running a bogus news story titled "Barack Obama has refused to be a president," aimed at tricking Internet users into downloading the computer virus.
It said the cyber-attack appeared to have originated in China, based on analysis of the website domain names, which were all bought by a Chinese company linked to previous cyber-attacks.
In India, the world's largest democracy, messages of hope flooded the website of NTDV, one of the country's top television channels chairing the proceedings live on the Internet.
"You may now realize that the world is a shade of grey. Eight years of seeing things as black or white have resulted in two possibly failed wars and a tarnished reputation the world over," implored a man, who identified himself as Siddharth.
"Hope is within all of us that you would not engage in scare tactics and engage in diplomacy with regimes which are unfriendly. This may sound weird, but lack of engagement has its results and the world has seen it for eight years," he added.
NDTV noted that Obama would have a "clearer shot at greatness than any of his recent predecessors," precisely due to the burdensome legacy he was inheriting from Bush.
"Not only is Obama saddled with recession, but he also has to deal with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism amid a historic transfer of power.
"But in great crisis lies great opportunity. Former US president Bill Clinton was known to have complained that since he never faced a great crisis, he could never hope to be remembered as a great president," it said.
A viewer wrote in the New York Times that while the hope invested in Obama was a "little unrealistic," sometimes "people need a hero and a little blind faith.
"Obama is the man! The worst president ever will be followed by the best," he wrote.
