the buzz log

Though the H1N1 flu (swine flu) hasn't been hugely damaging in the states, the bug has gone positively viral online, and some argue it's having a sickening effect on the public. Concerned citizens are logging on to track the flu through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and are being infected with worry.

Facebook groups for "swine flu" have over 15,000 members, and the social networking site recently added an application that tracks flu-related words in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Those who want to watch the global spread of the disease can check out Healthmap, which mashes up World Health Organization alerts, news reports, personal accounts, and Google Maps to track the worldwide route.

Instant reports are also being tweeted through Twitter, the microblogging site that allows users to post updates in 140 characters. Surely those who want to be in-the-know are searching for anything flu-related, but right now the levels of flu are so relatively low that some experts fear that Twitter's instant updates are doing more harm than good.

In other words, spreading information: good. Spreading panic and misinformation: not so good. Then again, there's Joe Biden. The vice president, in blurting out that he warned his family not to get on subways or airplanes for fear of the flu, has more influence over the panic button than all the social networks combined. Say it ain't so, Joe.