On the morning of March 22, the world witnessed the horrible tragedy of the Brussels terrorist attack. I remember waking up and seeing the notification from the New York Times on my phone. The news was quite devastating to me because I did my study abroad in Brussels, Belgium. During my time there, I had the pleasure of meeting several wonderful people.
Facebook Safety Check
That same morning, I checked my Facebook. Along with other notifications concerning birthdays and game requests, there was a particular Safety Check notification. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but I clicked to find out. What it entailed was assurance of my friends’ safety in Brussels. Facebook had allowed them to check in so that their friends all over the world would know that they were alive and safe. This is awesome!
I wondered, though, how this genius idea worked. Strangely, on March 27, I received a SMS text message from Facebook. It was a safety check. The message asked if I was affected by the explosion. I was to reply SAFE, if I was safe, or OUT if I wasn’t in the area. Now, the weird thing is that I wasn’t in, or near, an affected area, but I do appreciate Facebook for looking out.
Things like these safety checks are why I believe social media is so awesome. We are able to connect and share all sorts of memories and moments that may be happy, exciting, and even tragic. Social media can make or break various relationships, but it can also create strong connections that were never even thought of mere years ago.
Miss Gabrielle Bellamy 