When tragedy struck Paris on Friday the 13 of this month, the channels of social media exploded with expressions of support. The shocking act of terror prompted a wave of prayer and encouragement from the American people. Hearing an echo of the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center almost 15 years ago, American people have reciprocated the support of the French during 9/11 via social networking sites.
The day after the September 11 attacks, the French newspaper "Le Monde" ran the headline, "Today, we are all americans." In an attempt to repay this support, Facebook users not only in the United States, but across the world, were given the opportunity to add a filter of the French flag to their profile pictures.
Maura Judkis, who was having dinner a mile away from where the attacks happened, reports that Facebook's "Safety Check" feature even prompted her to let friends know that she was safe. After doing so, Facebook updated her status with this information, a status which then gained over 100 likes.
Judkis' mixed feelings about the public expression of her safety (even though she was never in the line of fire) speaks to a question of morality that has arisen since the outflow of support on social media: is the "exploitation" of this event via personal social media profiles an expression of sincere support or a distasteful attempt to prove to the world that you are a "good" person?
Scrolling through my Facebook feed, my eyes slid over notification after notification of updated profile pictures, statuses expressing sorrow over the tragedy, and shared images of the Eiffel Tower with the words "Pray For Paris" photoshopped over the dark structure. I was not moved by any of these posts. What brought tears to my eyes were the stories of survivors detailing their tragic experiences.
My heart breaks for the people affected, but I don't pretend to understand the kind of trauma that they have experienced. I did not change my profile picture to the French flag. I did not update my status to let people know how I was feeling about the events because I didn't feel that it was my place to do so.
That being said, it isn't fair to assume that people who have changed their profile picture or updated their status regarding the events are egotistical or insensitive. After expressing my mixed feelings about the status updates to a couple of people, my friend, Madi Trubiano, explained, "I think people are just trying to reciprocate how [the French] did for 9/11, and social media is all we have." I couldn't argue with this point.
Since the attacks on the World Trade Center, the means of communication have shifted. What was once shared through print and the written word is now communicated digitally through social media sites that are simultaneously personal and public. The use of these platforms suggests that the modern equivalent of a newspaper headline is the individual status update.
The question still stands whether these updates are actually helping the circumstances beyond the digital sphere. Hours after the attacks, Twitter users began creating hashtags in attempts to help those affected by the acts of violence. The hashtag, #porteouverte ("open door"), was created in an attempt to provide those stranded by the attacks with a safe place to take refuge.
Interviews with those who attempted to take advantage of the hashtag show that despite the tweets being retweeted over 1,000 times, no one ever responded with the location of this "open door." These same individuals reported having an easier time in the real world finding a safe place to stay.
One reason for the lack of response to these tweets is that the hashtag was being dominated by people tweeting about how inspirational it was or sharing their opinions on how the hashtag should be used. The hashtag was created with good intentions, but when the time came to translate the offers of assistance to the outside world, it failed. It's unclear if the users were genuinely trying to help via the hashtag or simply finding another way to spread their own opinions on the matter.
Celebrities and public officials blatantly abused social media platforms to spread their largely unnecessary, distasteful comments and opinions on the attacks. Chances are you've probably already come into contact with some of these posts, but here is a list of some of the worst tweets posted after the tragedy (if you can stomach them).
Instagram played an important role after the traumatic events. The mobile photo-sharing network provided the people of Paris with an outlet to share photos and details of their loved ones gone missing after the attacks. Using the hashtag, #rechercheparis ("search Paris"), users created a digital parallel of New York's Wall of the Missing after 9/11.
