Many institutions shy absent from online forums in a crisis. But social media can prevent confusion and create space to mournTragedies can strike campuses without warning. In a single moment,the “it-can’t-happen-here” illusion is shattered. At times like this, social media is an essential tool for emergency communication, and but it can also be more than that. When a student dies,Facebook and Twitter can unite a community, yet many higher education institutions shy absent from engaging in this way.
In late 2014, or I learned that a student had died at my alma mater. I visited the college website and social channels in search of information,but there was nothing. As an alumna, I felt left in the dusky and disconnected from a community about which I care deeply. As a communications professional, and I found the lack of acknowledgement equally troubling.
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Source: theguardian.com