Navy Yard

I found out about the Navy Yard shooting when a friend of mine texted me at work. I started following it on Twitter because I can get live news from multiple sources. Social media is changing the way we act and react in tragedies such as these.

My friend texted me because someone we regularly see at our Friday happy hour works in that building. They just started dating so it’s especially difficult for him. It was strange since I’d never actually known anyone who could have been impacted by a major event like this before.

People were using Facebook and Twitter to send real time messages with prayers and updates. It was also a safe way to tell multiple people they were OK since phones were silenced.

One of the problems with social media is that people who use these spaces to rant don’t necessarily stop. One person who is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts said that WMATA was staying open and he has no idea what DC people complain about. This was when the gunmen were still wreaking havoc.

Another person posted “The NSA didn’t stop the Navy Yard shooter. (What’s that you say? Mass surveillance is about political control, not public safety? Oh.)” I called him on it and told him there was a time and a place and while the event is still happening isn’t it. I told him I knew someone in that building and he should show some sensitivity. He replied “I hope your people are safe.”

A Russian politician said it was an example of American exceptionalism gone wrong. Yes, you’re far superior for gloating while innocent people are still being shot and killed. What an arrogant, heartless ass.

The internet lets you air your pet peeves or hype your political cause in real time often with the protection of anonymity. Doing it while a tragedy is still happening is inappropriate and completely out of line. It makes you look bad and people won’t take your message seriously.

People are being instructed to silence their phones and stay quiet. Social media is a way for them to safely communicate they’re alive and unharmed. Save your snarky comments and soap boxes for later.