Slate offers up a pretty stirring and incredibly fascinating look at the role of online social networking in yesterday’s tragedy:

MySpace holds a central position in this drama. This morning, it was noted on Fark.com that the shooter identified by police, Cho Seung-Hui, did not have a presence on MySpace—another sign of his outcast status. There’s a two-fold disappoinment at this fact. For the angry, no way to leave a flaming message (or worse). For the media, it’s as if his MySpace page would have held the key to his motive, as if the online life of college students is where they hide their true selves.

The article links to a number of facebook memorial pages created in memory of some of the victims, including this group for sophomore Caitlin Hammaren, the creator of which wrote this firm yet very gracious note directed at what appears to be a somewhat overaggressive press:

To those reporters who have been trying to contact me: I would love to help, however I have put this group up as a memorial to my neighbor and friend, Caitlin. I did not realize doing so would result in so much support, and it would be wrong of me to go any further with this and supply you guys with information and photos of Caitlin without the consent of her parents.

To those members who read this: if you want to talk to some of these reporters (look in discussion board) feel free to express any feelings or memories of Caitlin, I would just appreciate if you kept in mind her family. I do not know if even having this page would be ok with them, so until I talk to them, please do not share any personal information or anything that you would think might offend/upset her family. Thank you.

Another facebook memorial here, for freshman Emily Hilscher, which too included a rebuke of the press.