Drew Margolin, a professor of communication at Cornell University who studies human dynamics through social media and is co-author of the study “The Ripple of Fear, Sympathy and Solidarity During the Boston Bombings,” says reactions to Boston and Paris terror attacks show social media solidarity as a powerful weapon against fear.
“There are definitely similarities in the use of the #JeSuisCharlie and the #BostonStrong hashtags. Both are symbolic expressions of solidarity with victims extended by people who are geographically dispersed, a phenomenon that is becoming more and more prevalent when these kind of terrible events occur.
“What’s interesting is that our findings during the Boston Bombings show this solidarity was expressed most in the places that expressed the most fear. In other words, the attack seemed to generate its own resistance, with social media facilitating the mutual awareness of that resistance.”
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