Attacks: the role of social networks

While France was affected on Friday, November 13^th by series of terrorist attacks in the heart of Paris, the social networks are massively mobilized to react to these terrible attacks.

Mutual assistance, wave of solidarity, poignant testimonies, appeal for witnesses, remembrance for the victims... An exceptional community impetus has been set up in social networks for several weeks. An impressive number of comments, photos and videos has created surface of all types of social networks since last Friday.

Their role in the information distribution resulted in spectacular mobilizations, but unfortunately it led to the disclosure of unfounded rumors creating the panic for Internet users.

An exceptional mobilization:

- Facebook has created “Safety check" allowing to warn friends the safety by a single click. By means of the geolocation, Facebook highlights if the Internet user is in a high-risk area and offers the signals to friends if he is or not in safety. According to Facebook, more than 5,4 million people have used it to reassure their entourage. It is the first time when this 'application' was used for this kind of events in France. This service had been activated after the earthquake which struck Nepal last April.

- Beyond 'Safety check', the social networks were able to serve the call for help for several present victims on the scene of the drama. This broadcasting of the immediate information permits to inform the police live events in Bataclan and give them crucial information to launch the assault.

Mutual aid and solidarity:

Social networks allowed a new mobilization. While the attacks take place in various places of the city, a wave of spontaneous solidarity is set up.

- Hashtag #' PorteOuverte ' is launched on Facebook and Twitter with the intention to come to rescue people potentially in danger or hurt by suggesting them taking refuge directly at home. This Hashtag has used more than 780,000 times and allowed numerous victims to find refuge waiting for the help.

- Numerous appeals for witnesses were published by families without news from their close friends. These publications often accompanied by a photo were shared massively by Internet users to help families and nervous friends.

-Hashtag ‘#JeDonnePourParis’ and  ‘#DonDuSang’  were launched to the initiative of Internet users to collect the maximum of blood and help more than 300 wounded victims. A mobilization of collection centers were submerged by hundreds of volunteers coming to donate their blood.

Appeals:

Affected in the heart of Paris, France and the whole world mobilized to show their support for the victims. This international mobilization was unprecedented in scope.

- Hashtag ‘#PrayForParis has already shared more than 3 million times on Saturday at about 7 am. An impressive mobilization.

-Numerous photos and graphical representations circulated in the social networks to appeal for France and victims. These images are the symbol of positive initiatives created after attacks.

 - A wave of red white blue profiles streamed in the social networks. This initiative has been taken by Facebook during the terrorist attacks and allowed to apply a red white blue filter to the profile photo to appeal for victims and France in mourning. A filter of the same kind of the rainbow colors  has already been used for the gay community to celebrate the marriage legislation for all and Gaypride.

 - Certain survivors of attacks have launched appeals for witnesses to try to find the people having helped them during attacks.

 False information, unfounded and polemical rumors:

 - Nevertheless, following attacks, a significant number of false information began to circulate in social networks. This phenomenon pulls a feeling of insecurity and panic for Internet users. To mitigate this plague, the government set up 'a guide of good behavior ' to hold when we are in social networks.

- The red white blue filter created the debate in social networks, because this device set up by Facebook was not used for other countries suffering from terrorist attacks.

With reassurances and unification, social networks knew how to create an exceptional community moose based on the solidarity and the mutual aid of Internet users. Being more useful than ever, social networks proved their very important social role within society by creating an unprecedented mobilization. Beyond the debates and unfounded rumors, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks are the proof of united France of solidarity.