Net stumbles in trying to keep up with Michael Jackson’s death news

In light of the near meltdown of some news sites in reporting the details of the Michael Jackson death, there’s a very interesting piece on CNet that asks a powerful question: How can any system that doesn’t work precisely when people need it the most be considered the future of communications?

As the debate piece notes, it happens time and time again: when news breaks, the Internet slows. Among other things it says:

It’s quite obvious at this point that the Internet has muscled its way into the lives of anyone who needs information. And Michael Jackson’s death Thursday had as great an impact on the Internet as anything in the history of the medium that didn’t involve the World Trade Center.

The statistics are amazing: Akamai said worldwide Internet traffic was 11 percent higher than normal during the peak hours between 3 p.m. PDT and 4 p.m., when news of Jackson’s death was breaking. That traffic forced even Google to its knees for a brief period of time Thursday afternoon.

Can a system that has trouble keeping up with ever-increasing demand for its services be considered a reliable source of information when a true crisis emerges?

via Debate: Can the Internet handle big breaking news? | Digital Media – CNET News.