Just when I start to doubt social media’s muscle — (which happens when I garden)  — something such as Sunday’s late-night announcement of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden’s death makes me believe again.

I was at work when the speculation started about Obama’s announcement, throwing in my ridiculous two cents, and watched as the news of Osama’s death evolved from 140-character rumors and bronzed soundbites into full-blown confirmed reports — all long before Obama took the lectern.

Today, my Facebook feed, which is usually rife with Sunday night blues, dinner plans and high school reunion pics, is a welcome illustration of democracy: The mostly joyous status updates alternate between pointed-but-restrained praise for Bush’s post-9/11 efforts and nearly arrogant predictions of Obama’s 2012 victory. One or two friends have noted, rightly, that even after Osama’s demise, the United States will still have more enemies, and more than a few are quoting Mark Twain: “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” A quick check of that quote shows me that it’s also all over Twitter today. Oh, maddening crowd.

Also on Twitter, there’s more celebrating and, of course, the news of the day: the quick-and-dirty posts that show who’s getting the facts fastest. I’ll have plenty of news to read when I go into work tonight, so until then I’ll enjoy a lighter perspective.