Virtual Poppies Spring Up For A New Kind Of Digital Remembrance
4:50 pm, November 11th, 2009, Giles Turnbull
November 11th is internationally recognised as a day of Remembrance; in the US it’s Veterans Day, and here in the UK is known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.
Millions of people around the world observed a two minute silence at 11am this morning, in memory of the soldiers who fell during the First World War and other conflicts.
The wearing and displaying of poppies has become a traditional way of showing support, but these days you can go one step further, and put a poppy on your iPhone.
This low-cost app lets you cultivate a virtual poppy, and read the poem In Flanders Fields.
Some might find this in questionable taste, but almost all the reviews of this app on the Store are extremely positive. “A fun way to wear an extra poppy,” said one; “A great way to show and give support,” said another; “What a wonderful modern way to support a charity,” said a third.
That’s the key to understanding this app, I think. It’s not so much about what the app can do (because it doesn’t really do very much at all); it’s simply that it brings charitable fundraising into the modern age in a way that younger people can relate to.
Posted by Giles Turnbull in News, iPhone | Comment on this article
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Not only do these sort of applications and others like it (there is a Cenotaph in Second Life) bring charitable causes and fundraising into the modern age, they also make participation in events such as Remembrance Day accessible to a much wider audience.
Karla Paff, on November 11th, 2009 at 5:05 pm