No Twitter Death

Investigators have concluded that Twitter had no role to play in the drowning of a 2-year-old whose mother’s postings prior to his death have been criticised for having “a contributory effect”. “Shellie Ross, 37, has come under fire in the Internet community of Twitter and blogs, with some people writing that her online comments before she found Bryson in their backyard swimming pool contributed to his death. Bryson’s story, the debate about Ross’ tweeting and discussion of the social media phenomenon itself have gone viral worldwide — with media attention from The New York Times, the New York Post, USA Today and the BBC in London, as well as from Web sites such as The Huffington Post, Salon and Yahoo! News. Supporters, meanwhile, have been just as vocal online, with several groups of mothers hosting chats Thursday to show sympathy for Ross and to memorialize Bryson.”