Social media is now a part of almost everyone's life, whether one likes it or not. It's now one of the source where you can see the latest happenings in the world. In the recent attacks that happened in France and Beirut, it was only natural that people turned to social media for the latest news, for expressing their opinions, and for finding out if their loved ones in the affected areas were safe and unharmed.
Accoding to The Verge, Facebook has become one of the most successful social media tools that majority of people use, with daily users of around 1.01 billion people worldwide. It's just a fact that people often open Facebook first when they log-in via their devices and get their information first-hand using the site. So what did Facebook do in light of the recent attacks?
Aside from broadcasting companies using Facebook to share the latest information of the attacks, the social media giant also created the Safety Check which allowed people to see if your Facebook friends are safe or if they are affected in the Paris attacks. Unfortunately, not all were impressed by it because the feature disregarded other recent attacks in Beirut.
According to the Vice President of Facebook, Alex Schulz, "We chose to activate Safety Check in Paris because we observed a lot of activity on Facebook as the events were unfolding. In the middle of a complex, uncertain situation affecting many people, Facebook became a place where people were sharing information and looking to understand the condition of their loved ones."
Aside from Facebook, other social media tools are also used by people to share information regarding the attacks. According to NBC Bay Area, tools like Periscope, Twitter, and PhatChat emerged. A Periscope user called EuroMaestro said that he will be announcing or telling something regarding what's happening which is not on CNN and other networks, but which also got reported five minutes later. This clearly verifies that the use of social media in spreading news and information is faster than other means.
