"A Glimpse Into The Lives Of Somali Pirates" Video Hits BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed, a leading media company geared for the social age, has teamed up with its news partner CNN to present a true BuzzFeed-style video highlighting the issue of Somali piracy.

The video, titled “A Glimpse Into The Lives Of Somali Pirates”, attempts to tackle Somali piracy with some general, easily digestible facts and rare CNN footage of real pirates. An excerpt introduces the video by saying:

“Piracy is currently at a five-year low. But that doesn’t mean it’s going away anytime soon: For many Somalis, it’s their only choice.”

BuzzFeed partnered with CNN in May as part of a social video expansion initiative and launched the “CNN BuzzFeed” channel on YouTube, creating BuzzFeed-style original mash-up news videos and signature lists tailored for the social web.

The video comes just a week before the release of the “Captain Phillips” movie starring Tom Hanks, which is based on the true story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking. The film has been receiving rave reviews and has even sparked some talk of Oscar nods.

So this begs the question: Is Somali piracy on the verge of becoming mainstream?