Facebook: Expanding Flag Frontiers
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Student Life

Facebook: Expanding Flag Frontiers

Encouraging a more universal Facebook community.

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Facebook: Expanding Flag Frontiers
Myshadow

November 13th, 2015: a day that shook the earth, when 130 lives were stolen and 368 were injured, a day of pure sadness, one which we will all remember as the day of the Paris terror attacks.

After the attacks, the damage was horrifying, the world seemed to freeze. People were shocked, upset, overwhelmed with fear. Hence, in support of Paris, social media took a stance. The hashtag “PrayforParis” was created to honor the victims of the attack. Jean Jullien’s famous symbol took the internet by storm. (INSERT PICTURE). Facebook expressed remorse as well. A feature was temporarily implemented into the site, where users could cover their profile pictures with a translucent French flag to show support. Although Facebook has not presented this statistic, one can assume that millions of Facebook users worldwide adopted the French flag profile picture, myself included.

Four days after the Paris attacks, “a bombing in Nigeria killed 32 people and wounded 80. Since Jan. 1, Nigeria has seen over 30 terror attacks, including bombings and mass shootings. Two of those attacks killed more people than in Paris.” Yet, a Nigerian profile picture was never introduced to Facebook users. Like Nigeria, several other countries in need are unrepresented on the site.

According to a list of top 10 Countries (http://www.perfectinsider.com/top-10-countries-wit...) with the most Facebook users, India places at number two, Indonesia at number four, and Turkey at number seven. All three are countries which experienced far worse terror attacks than the one in Paris, which places at number nine. It seems logical that Facebook might introduce new flags to voice support for countries where a majority of users are from, but the media site did almost nothing to console these members.

In fact, 2015’s list of deadliest terror attacks ranks the Paris attacks at number seven. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/201...) So, why has Facebook neglected to allow users to voice their solace to countries who have experienced destruction far worse than that in Paris?

Of course, there is nothing wrong with Facebook allowing its users to express their condolences for families and friends of Parisian victims. The citizens of Paris deserve this support. However, it is unjust to only implement the popular feature for one country.

If Facebook wants to appear as a universal, openminded site, it needs to appeal to all of its users. This means, supporting all countries whenever necessary. To solve the issue, perhaps Facebook could create profile picture flags for all countries, so that members can choose to use them when they wish to. “Facebook’s goal, as we so often hear from Zuckerberg and his lieutenants, is to connect everyone in the world,” (WIRED MAG). If Facebook wants to achieve its objective, it must become more inclusive.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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