Staff Writer
It
has been a difficult couple of weeks for Wake County students, parents, and
staff. First came the death of Panther Creek High student Laura Yost, and very
recently Apex High has seen the loss of senior Nathan Pribble. The reaction to
these tragedies on its surface has been touching. Many friends and family of
the victims have rallied together to console each other and to respect the
memories of those students. Some of what has been happening on social media
websites, however, is completely distasteful.
News
travels quickly on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Within
hours of the death of Nathan Pribble most students in Wake County with a Twitter
account had received the sad news. In this short period of time, the circumstances
of his death were leaked, despite a plea from Pribble’s parents for things to
be kept quiet. Nothing is harder than losing a son or daughter, and
disrespecting the wishes of a grieving parent is inconsiderate and insensitive.
Perhaps
the saddest aspect of the social media response is the way people take advantage
of the situation to gather attention for themselves. One of the most common
posts that can be found about Pribble or Yost go along the lines of, “I didn’t
know them but I send my prayers/respects,” or “Retweet this, we lost someone!” The
goal of these posts baffle me. Are these students actually saddened by the
tragic circumstances, or are they making these posts to gather attention? These
posts can also be confusing to those who are grieving, and very easily come
across as insulting or disrespectful.
One
of my least favorite things about social media is its tendency to depersonalize
social interaction, a property that is especially prevalent in this situation. The
problem isn’t what people are doing regarding the loss of students, but how
they are choosing to express condolences. The proper way to pay respect is not
merely to post meaningless text online. The proper way is to go to the funeral,
wake, or other gathering and express your kind words there. It isn’t acceptable
to ask somebody on a date online, so it certainly is not acceptable to pay
respect to the dead in this insensitive manner.
Grieving
and social media do not always mix. The death of a close friend or family
member is something deeply personal and emotional, and, in my opinion, it is
not something that can be expressed properly over the Internet. Certainly, we
hope there will be will be no more tragedies in the near future. If there are,
think before you post. Keep the best wishes of the family at heart, and find
the right way to express your grief.
