2016 has not been too kind to us. On top of losing far too many of our most loved idols, we have also had an obscene amount of shootings, worldwide disasters, and an election that really tore this country apart. It has been a year filled with too much loss and hate. All of these tragedies are absolutely heartbreaking and if you don't think so, you might not be human. Yet, because of the times we live in, there's is another facet of these events that is more infuriating than anything.
In the age of social media, your worth is now determined by how many retweets you can get or how many likes your Instagram picture reels in. Most of the time, people go about getting all these through generic and boring posts that they think makes them unique and cool, while it really only shows how shallow and attention hungry they really are. (That came out a little more cruel than intended, but hell if it ain't the truth.) Usually, I try to ignore all that and just do my own thing. You know, make some bad jokes, write articles, retweet cute dog videos, all that jazz. But now, what some people are using their social media platforms for has angered me to the point where I have to say something. It makes me sick to my stomach, but there are a fair amount of people out there who use national and worldwide tragedies solely for their own personal gain. To them, death is just another way to get likes and retweets. I see it all the time in posts that read "Share this post to show your support for the victims!" or "RT if you're going to miss so and so." It's almost inhuman how some people can make another person's death all about them. It's one thing to say kind words and say you'll send your prayers, but there is a fine line between being genuine and being selfish.
2016 has also been a year filled with so many heated political debates, I seriously debated spending my entire senior year studying abroad. Now, usually I can just ignore most of the post from my thousands of friends who all have their masters in political science, but when people start to use national tragedies to push their own political agenda, that's when it gets under my skin. You have people whose lives have just been taken away from them in an act of horror and all you can think about is "Hm, how could I use this to help me out? How can I use this to prove my point?" It's absolutely disgusting and I see it from both sides as well.
If your first thought is "How can I make this loss of life about me?", then you need to reevaluate your morals immediately. In a time where social media is one of the most popular forms of communication, it seems like everyone wants more attention. It's the "Look at me, I'm important." generation. (This goes for EVERYONE, not just millennials). It's a greedy and selfish way of thinking that has unfortunately become very normalized. Now, most of the time it's harmless. Usually, it's just reposting old jokes or jumping on a trend that's popular that week. But when the line's not drawn, people will look anywhere for content that'll get them those notifications to pop up on their phone.
Using the loss of human life for your own status gain needs to be stopped. When someone passes, it is a time for their loved ones to mourn and remember them. It is not a time to draw as much attention as you can to yourself. So please, be respectful and considerate in the wake of tragedies, and remember that not everything is about you.
