After the Manchester terror attack, there were some amazing displays of humanity, online and offline. But there was also a phenomenon that is, at the very least, bizarre, if not just plain cruel: people tweeting fake appeals for missing ones.
For instance, someone used the image of a girl who had been murdered, in a domestic violence accident a few years ago, not even in Manchester. Another claimed to be looking for his little brother, while using the photo of a little boy who had modelled for a magazine. Yet another Twitter user claimed to be looking for their brother and sister, and used the photo of somebody else who not only was alive, but also was not related to that Twitter user. And so on. (more here).
I get that people may have retweeted the appeals in good faith. They were genuinely trying to help, and we all make mistakes when we are doing things in a hurry.
But, to create a fake appeal… Why?
Maybe your Klout score goes up a bit, temporarily, because your tweet gets widely retweeted. But is that worth it
What could someone possibly gain from generating a fake missing persons appeal?
I really do not get it.
Ana Canhoto 