We use social media to announce events in our personal lives such as job promotions, vacations, engagements, pregnancies, etc., but what about tragedies? After a traumatic event occurs, some people automatically take to social media to share their thoughts, but is this appropriate? Does it aid the grieving process? Is it worth the risk of sounding insensitive and ignorant?

Tragedy can affect humans on physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral levels. It is important to remember, though, that everyone reacts differently depending on their level of exposure to the incident, their level of stress before the incident, previous experiences, degree of support available and their spiritual involvement. Based on these factors, everyone’s reaction is unique and no one’s reaction should be invalidated, however, how and when is it appropriate to share these reactions on social media?

High profile celebrities always seem to send out social media messages in wake of tragic events. For example, after the attack in Orlando, FL, Ricky Martin tweeted, “I am gay and I am not afraid. Love conquers all. #PrayforOrlando,” while Donald Trump tweeted, “Really bad shooting in Orlando. Police investigating possible terrorism. Many people dead and wounded.” The difference between these two posts is clear; Martin put himself into the tragedy while Trump simply stated facts. These two tweets demonstrate reactions that are polar opposite, but are both valid. Relating to the incident and bringing people together is vital to a community’s healing process, while going about business as usual is important for some to keep sane. Though both tweets are subject to scrutiny from others, Martin’s for making the tragedy his own and Trump for showing little emotion, both are normal reactions.

Tragedies that affect a smaller community, such as the sudden death of a loved one, are also discussed on social media, but in different ways. Pages usually used for self-promotion are flooded with old pictures and earnest messages concerning the tragedy, but Professor Gary Hare, a media psychologist at Fielding Graduate University, believes that this is not a bad thing. In his article for The Atlantic, Joshua Andrew quotes Hare saying that social media works to “[foment] the grieving process ... it sets it within the context of a community that comes together and says you are not alone. And that helps.” Essentially, social media allows the sufferer to let others know of their tragedy and allows bystanders to quickly express their sympathy, creating a genuine feeling of community and support essential to the grieving process.

Every individual deals with tragedy in their own way and they decide whether or not to take to social media, but what about businesses? How should their social media pages look after a tragedy? Due to prescheduled posts and misinformation, many companies have sent out seemingly insensitive and ignorant posts. For example, following a mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, #Aurora was trending on Twitter. Celeb Boutique, a clothing retailer based out of Argentina, tweeted, “#Aurora is trending, clearly about our Kim K inspired #Aurora dress ;) Shop:” followed by a link to their website. Later, the company apologized, claiming they were not aware of the tragedy at the time of the tweet and did not bother checking what the hashtag was really about.

As Christine Freschi states in her article “How to Respond to Tragedy on Social Media” written for LaunchSquad, social media is a 24/7 job. If companies chose to have a social media presence, they must be watching for breaking news at all times in order to prevent insensitive posts. Most companies preschedule their social media posts using scheduling tools which serve to plan posts up to weeks in advance. This is convenient for employees who cannot post during nights and weekends, but can cause a lot of trouble when they forget to halt their posts in wake of tragic news. Freschi uses the twitter of the Boston Red Sox as an example. The night the Ferguson verdict was announced, the Red Sox tweeted, “How’s your Monday night going?” Not only should prescheduled posts be cancelled, but recent posts relating to the tragedy should be deleted. Freschi assures companies that if they do not have anything sincere to say on social media following a tragedy, their silence is okay; followers will not assume that their brand doesn’t care.

Tragedy has existed long before social media and to some, the internet is not the place to discuss it, however, as our means of communication about everyday life changes, our means of communication about tragedy should change too. Sympathy, support and community are all necessary components to the grieving process and social media helps people to grieve together, no matter their physical location. Although posts about tragedy can be misconstrued, they are not inherently inappropriate, but rather, quite necessary.