In the wake of the Paris attacks last week, virtually all social media sites have been plastered with signs of support. There have been countless Facebook profile photos edited with a French flag filter and #Prayers4Paris has been trending.
Touching survival stories were posted and shared hundreds of times. But a story posted on Facebook by Isobel Bowdery truly resonated with thousands. Bowdery, a 22 year old South African was at the Bataclan music venue when the gunmen attacked. Her heart wrenching post about pretending to be dead for over an hour, accompanied by a photo of her bloody shirt was shared over 800,000 times.
It is almost impossible to scroll through your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feed without seeing something about the attacks. These displays of public support are beautiful things and can help to unite individuals across the world by restoring our faith in the world after such a horrific tragedy.
But why has social media overlooked the tragedies that happened in Beirut the day before the Paris attacks, or the attacks and tragedies that have happened in the past year? Why can’t we always show this kind of support on social media? Why don’t we always use it as a tool for good?
Because of social media, the rest of the world is just a click or “double-tap” away. News, personal stories, and commentary can be shared so quickly. Critics may say that a new profile picture, trending hash-tag, or post does absolutely nothing for victims. But social media, may actually be a way to verbalize your support for people across the globe and unite strangers for a great cause. Who knows, your post could change someone’s life.