On the surface, the social media world’s response to Alongi’s
tweet is a gallant one. We’ve all seen how quickly the body-Internet can rally
behind a cause, from the Kony 2012 campaign to the SOPA/PIPA organized
blackouts. From the moment she updated her Twitter, #HelpFindKara had been
re-tweeted over 32,000 times and the local police department flooded with phone
calls.
The interesting wrinkle here is with the police department’s
response. They have issued press statements citing that there appeared to be no
forced entry into Alongi’s residence and that they do not believe she was in ‘any
immediate physical danger.’ A local taxi company confirms that a call was
received from her address around the time of the tweet and a female matching
Alongi’s description was dropped off at a nearby train station. Weighing all
the facts, it appears we have a very disturbed young girl with an unfulfilled
desire for attention.
It appears Alongi has stepped in the e-hornet’s nest,
incensing the hive mind who first supported determining her whereabouts, and
now would rather find her personally to give her a piece of their minds. While
she garnered over 95,000 new followers overnight, the majority of them are now
furious with what appears to be an online stunt.
As long as social media users continue taking the bait in
situations such as Alongi’s without properly evaluating the facts first, these stories
will persist. It’s an unfortunate side-effect of the ability of news to go
viral, and only lends to the ‘boy who cried wolf’ mindset that will be
established online when someone is really in need.
-Carter Breazeale
PR/PR Public Relations
