When news of Michael Jackson’s death broke yesterday, the Internet nearly broke with it. People flocked to their computers, if they weren’t already in front of them, to share their thoughts and feelings on the passing of a true music icon. Everyone had something to say, at the same time, giving the Internet’s infrastructure a thorough testing. All of this illustrates a fundamental change in how we experience events collectively.

According to The New York Times, “Ethan Zuckerman, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard, tweeted that Mr. Jackson was a more popular topic on Twitter than the Iranian election or the recent flu outbreak ever were.”

Mr. Zucker’s quick research shows that approximately 15% of all posts on Twitter last evening mentioned Michael Jackson. The percentage may seem small but considering the sheer volume of tweets per day, which some estimate to be close to 20 million, the statistic is amazing.

What does this say about how we communicate as a society now? Major pop cultural moments in our country, and around the world, used to be passive events. The Kennedy Assassination. The Lunar Landing. The Challenger Explosion. The Fall of the Berlin Wall. Even 9/11. We watched as history was broadcast into our homes, and we discussed the significance with our friends, family and co-workers in our communities. Now, with pop culture episodes like Jackson’s death, we actively share the experience and participate in a larger collective conversation via the web.

Here’s an interesting and very debatable question:  is the new shared cultural moment more meaningful than the old?

What’s not debatable is the breadth of Jackson’s career. At Red Square Agency, we are paying tribute to the “King of Pop” with an all-day MJ Marathon on our Internet radio station, WRED–visit our web site and click the link in the upper right.