10 Years On: Social Media's Role in the 2015 Paris Attacks

Social Media as a Real-Time Information Source

• 🐦 Twitter (now X) became a primary source for real-time information during the 2015 Paris attacks, often outpacing traditional media.
• ⏱️ The first posts emerged minutes after the initial explosion, with users questioning events and reporting gunshots, helping to establish an initial timeline.
• 📈 Over 11 million posts were made on Twitter in the first 24 hours, and 20 million in a week, highlighting the immense volume of information shared.

Providing Shelter and Safety Measures

• 🚪 The hashtag #Béouver (Open Door) trended, with over a million shares, enabling Parisians to offer shelter to those in need.
• 🛡️ Facebook's Safety Check feature was activated for the first time during a terror attack, allowing 5 million users to alert friends and family they were safe.
• ⚠️ Facebook's decision to activate Safety Check for the Paris attacks followed criticism for not using it during a bombing in Beirut the previous day.

Global Solidarity and Empathy Online

• 🙏 The hashtag #PrayForParis became a global message of solidarity, generating over 7 million tweets in a few hours.
• 🎨 The iconic image by artist Jean Jullien, intertwining the peace symbol with the Eiffel Tower, was shared millions of times and is still used to honor victims.
• ✊ Gestures like posting selfies with the phrase "JUI on" in cafes symbolized defiance against terrorism, showing a commitment to continuing daily life.
• 🇫🇷 Facebook offered a feature to overlay profile pictures with the French flag, which was adopted by hundreds of thousands to show support.

Shaping Understanding of the Tragedy

• 📰 Social media's rapid dissemination of information and personal accounts significantly shaped the media's timeline and public understanding of the events.
• 💬 The collective online response, from information sharing to expressions of solidarity, defined how the tragedy was perceived and remembered.