It is a fact of modern life. When a tragedy occurs, people turn to social media.
Today’s events in Boston were shared on social media, even as news crews and rescuers rushed to the scene. A Vine video loop of the blast played on the local news. A shocking (and graphic) twitter picture of a blast victim circulated on Twitter and Instagram.
Two hashtags emerged almost instantly as the dominant trending tag for news, prayers, the sharing of important links and photos and a great deal of speculation and commentary.
#PrayForBostonand #BostonMarathon drew tweets from celebrities, news agencies, and individuals around the world as we waited for more news and more answers.
Celebrities who tweeted included Larry King, Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Cindy Crawford, Kourtney Kardashian, Chris Rock and many more.
Because of the high volume of tweets on this hashtag, it was nearly impossible for most users to see the entire stream of commentary. Searching the tags on Twitter displayed the most relevant (prominent & re-tweeted tweets).
Talking about a tragedy on Twitter has become a common cultural practice. Tracking the conversation can be very helpful. Here’s some practical advice for navigating the conversation.
When tracking live breaking news events via Twitter:
- Don’t be afraid of social media. While it is not always the best source of information, during an emergency it might be the only source of important information.
- Pay attention to frequently shared links. Google launched a People Finder tool tool today, in an effort to help runners and spectators connect with worried family members and friends. Twitter is a wonderful tool for spreading links like these quickly
- Look at other coincidental Hashtags for more granular information. Hashtags are a categorization system. Tweeters add secondary tags to clarify and classify themselves. Local running groups, and agencies responding to the events shared information with additional hashtags
- Read everything critically. Don’t trust everything you read. News and images that are broken by spectators via social media, may be accurate, but they also might not be. Important details may be missing. Links and images that have been shared and re-shared may be edited or embellished.
- Turn to verified news sources for news. News agencies also tweet with event hashtags, and their tweets are frequently retweeted. Refer back to the original tweeter’s stream to see the original message.
- It’s not all bad news. One of the most uplifting things about Twitter during a tragedy, is the outpouring of human sentiment. In times of trouble, this is an incredibly positive thing to behold. Charities get funded, volunteers are motivated and positive actions are inspired by hashtags in the wake of a crisis.
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