The fetishisation of grief on Facebook

a reply to: grainofsand
Come on really, supremacy?
That article

a reply to: TruthxIsxInxThexMist

Yes - I would actually react in the same way I am now.

Whilst I do not know someone who was killed, I know 2 people who were in the crossfire on a friday night out there. They luckily escaped.

A large proportion of my family are French.

This has gone across borders.

I see more value in direct support than spreading a meme.

Shoe on the other foot - do you know anyone who was killed there to support your point?

originally posted by: dreamingawake
a reply to: grainofsand
Come on really, supremacy?
That article

Hey I didn't write the title or make any assertions, I just shared the link as an interesting read.
The main thrust of the article, regarding changing profiles to national flags for every nation suffering massacres each week, stands true as far as I see it though.
Innocent French lives are no more valid to me than innocent Lebanese, but maybe some people think differently.
On fakebook it appears so.

a reply to: Akragon

About half of my FB friends I've unfollowed for this very reason. Not everyone in this world is my BFF, and listening to drivel is easily switched OFF. Most of the buffoons don't know and don't care.

Don't tell them I called them buffoons

originally posted by: grainofsand

originally posted by: dreamingawake
a reply to: grainofsand
Come on really, supremacy?
That article

Hey I didn't write the title or make any assertions, I just shared the link as an interesting read.
The main thrust of the article, regarding changing profiles to national flags for every nation suffering massacres each week, stands true as far as I see it though.
Innocent French lives are no more valid to me than innocent Lebanese, but maybe some people think differently.
On fakebook it appears so.

Didn't think you were on that side but that title and articles lacks sense and rather seem to be in it for the ratings and revenue.

I think the reason why you're seeing more support for French is more people in the Western world identify with it(heritage,family, friends, people standing for the Western world being attacked, etc.) and or that it was more talked about.

Sure they can be upset, and of course all these lives count that are lost due to terrorist, but the title and their assertion mirrors these Salon articles coming out as of late.

a reply to: selfharmonise

You live in the USA?

If so... thats probably the reason why you are different... you are further away from the incident, therefore the terrorists aren't closeby to your home.

If say you live in L.A and a few bombs went off closeby and people were massacred... wouldn't you want people elsewhere in the World to show support and solidarity?? Or would you only expect those living in the USA to show support?

As for me knowing anyone who was in Paris on Friday... no i don't but I do have fb friends from France. but thats not the reason i put a flag up... i put a flag up because I don't support these 'Fanatical Muslims' and I don't want them forcing their way of life upon me... I put it up for the fight against Freedom or the right to be free from those wanting our Freedoms quashed.

a reply to: TruthxIsxInxThexMist

I put it up for the fight against Freedom.

Typo?

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: TruthxIsxInxThexMist

I put it up for the fight against Freedom.

Typo?

No. For the fight against Freedom! That is right isn't it.

a reply to: TruthxIsxInxThexMist

Wouldn't it sound better if you were fighting for freedom instead of against it??

Are we crossing wires here lol

originally posted by: grainofsand
Interesting article in the Independent:
Got a French flag on your Facebook profile picture? Congratulations on your corporate white supremacy

If you’ve been on Facebook since last Friday’s attacks in Paris, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into the Front National’s image bank – the social media site is currently hosting a flood of French flags, applied via a function enabled by Facebook in the immediate aftermath of the attacks which is, frankly, deeply problematic.

So you want to show solidarity with France – specifically, with those killed in Paris this weekend. If you’re a British person who wants to do that because you feel sympathy and sadness for people who are brutally massacred, regardless of their nationality, then fine. I just hope that you also change your profile picture to a different country’s flag every time people are wrongly killed as the result of international conflicts – for example, during the attack on Beirut in Lebanon just the day before.

lol @ media dissecting and discussing the things people do on Facebook, like it matters.....

I find the fetish of judging and dissecting any little fad or phase on Facebook weirder.

originally posted by: zazzafrazz
originally posted by: grainofsand
I find the fetish of judging and dissecting any little fad or phase on Facebook weirder.

I find it fascinating Zazz, it doesn't affect my life of course but it is interesting how easily people seem to be swayed by a corporate beast to present a communal show of emotion.
It started with the rainbow overlay in support of LGBT+, and now the French Tricolour. At least 'Je Suis Charlie' was done on an individual basis where people copied others, but the overlays for profiles are selectively created by fakebook and basically 'pushed' on the users.

It almost felt like a hard sell with the multiple suggestions facebook was making to me asking if I wanted to use the overlay to show my support. So I wonder, what's next, and which lives do the social media giant deem worthy of 'support' such as this? How many lives need to be lost to deserve it?

Over 200 Russians died in the Egypt plane bombing. The same terrorist group claimed responsibility. No Russian flag overlay option to show support though. I wonder why.
Is Russia not 'Western' enough for us to care as much? Is being bombed out of the sky on the way back from vacation somehow less worthy of support than people being killed while enjoying a drink or a music concert?

As I said, I find it fascinating from a human psychology perspective, and I think the questions I am musing to myself here are valid at the very least.
No fetish or dissection going on here, just genuine observation...and as far as judgement goes, don't we make judgements every day about all sorts of issues?
I don't see why questions regarding herd mentality and coercion by a social media company would or should be exempt from critical observation. Would we feel the same if facebook started supporting x or y political cause and started influencing public opinion with offers of 'overlays' which support its agenda?

For all these reasons I find it fascinating, especially when it is apparently so easy for facebook to sway the behaviour of its users.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: TruthxIsxInxThexMist

Wouldn't it sound better if you were fighting for freedom instead of against it??

Are we crossing wires here lol

Ok... Against those who are fighting against our Freedom!

You all know what I meant.

a reply to: TruthxIsxInxThexMist


Yeah! Down with freedom - and that sort of thing.

Russian flag overlay, really? I don't think Russians use Facebook, except maybe RT.

Reaching out to Putin will only result in your watch getting stolen.

originally posted by: FlyingFox
Russian flag overlay, really? I don't think Russians use Facebook, except maybe RT.

Hardly the point though is it, the vast majority of British/US folk who changed to the French Tricolour probably don't have any French fakebook friends so not many French folk would have seen them either.

Reaching out to Putin will only result in your watch getting stolen.

Who said anything about Putin?
This thread is about the communal outpouring of grief on social media and showing solidarity with civilians of the nations concerned.
I ask again, were the 200+ Russian civilians who were blown up by the same terrorist group less worthy of 'support' online? Not 'Western' enough maybe?
Does facebook decide what the masses deem worthy of support now? It certainly seems that way, and the unthinking drones just lap it up as usual.

Crimea River

originally posted by: FlyingFox
Crimea River

...and your mature argument for discussion is what exactly?
We care less about Russian citizens because their government does #ty stuff now?
I don't blame US citizens for the "45 minutes WMD" bull# which drew the UK into an illegal war either.
What's your on-topic point?

Someone seems really butthurt and OCD about other countries, that's my point.

originally posted by: grainofsand
Hardly the point though is it, the vast majority of British/US folk who changed to the French Tricolour probably don't have any French fakebook friends so not many French folk would have seen them either.

This didn't start in France??
It was all my french contacts and family that I first saw doing it -then afterwards, my american ones.
I thought it started here.


They're doing a lot of sharing or political messages on Facebook, and I feel I kind of have to be quiet, being an immigrant, I don't get to say anything. But I want to rant!

Besides the young people who are going full left wing (as young people do), there's a large movement of french who are making a big statement about their right to pleasure. Cartoons and such, proclaiming, "Drink, eat, smoke, have sex! That is the best revenge!"
Party up and show them you have the right to party!
As much I think the french love of sensual pleasures is nice, I feel like screaming, there are times when being responsible is called for! Get your clothes on, put down the glass, wipe your mouth and frigging defend your country and life! Otherwise you won't be able to have the right to do any of those things anymore!

Interesting culture clash though. AEsop wrote the story of the Ant and Grasshopper as a vehicle for the moral against laziness, and it's self destructive effects. Jean de La Fontaine rewrote it with a completely different moral - in which the grasshopper was the hero , and the necessity of art and beauty, (and artists) as well as the importance of compassion and supporting the arts (the ant should be sharing his stash with the grasshopper). His idea is that art and beauty is a necessity of life, just as is food or shelter. They should mutually support each other.

But darn it, a whole nation of grasshoppers ?
I'm just venting.

originally posted by: FlyingFox
Someone seems really butthurt and OCD about other countries, that's my point.

Not sure who you are referring to but I think you are just desperately inventing some emotion behind my observations because you are incapable of sticking to the topic and holding a mature discussion.
So, why the French Tricolour overlay on fakebook for last friday and no show of support for the 200+ Russians who were killed by the same terrorist group only weeks earlier?

A valid question, and if you find you can detach yourself from emotion for a moment you could try rational and adult conversation maybe?

originally posted by: Bluesma
This didn't start in France??

I'm sorry I don't know, I assumed when facebook provided the overlay feature it was universal for all users from the start.
Interesting perspective you must have as an immigrant yourself, I imagine French culture can be a challenge at times, I'm a Brit though and suspect I would share similar observations.

It seems the Tricolour overlays are dropping off now on fakebook though here from my UK perspective, ah that 'digital solidarity' world is quite fickle and short term it seems.
...as long as they felt they did something to help the French though that's all that matters, oh and of course it would not have been possible if facebook hadn't arbitrarily decided that France was worthy of it.
Corporate contrived social engineering in my opinion.