In the aftermath of the recent Milestone jet crash, the devastating impact of the tragedy reverberates as at least 31 lives have been lost, with many more fighting for survival in burn units. This marks the most tragic aviation disaster within Bangladesh since the 1984 Biman Bangladesh Airlines Fokker F27 crash near Dhaka, which claimed the lives of all 49 passengers on board due to adverse weather conditions.
As the chaos unfolded following the crash, social media platforms were inundated with insensitive and exploitative posts seeking to capitalize on the unfolding grief. Amidst the heroic efforts of emergency responders and the anguished wait of families outside intensive care units, social media feeds were flooded with sensationalized accounts, speculative narratives, and heavily edited videos set to trending music—a disturbing trend that trivialized the real suffering and loss experienced by those affected.
The insensitivity reached a peak when graphic descriptions and images of the victims, including children, were shared without regard for basic human decency. Influencers, in their pursuit of visibility, resorted to extracting emotional narratives from the grieving families, crossing ethical boundaries by sharing uncensored images of the deceased.
This disturbing trend, as highlighted by academics such as Lilie Chouliaraki, reflects a shift towards a “post-humanitarian” era where expressions of solidarity are reduced to self-serving acts, blurring the line between genuine empathy and exploitation. In times of national crisis, instead of offering genuine support or maintaining respectful silence, individuals rush to post content that prioritizes visibility over genuine mourning, perpetuating a culture of exploitation and insensitivity.
The emergence of terms like “disaster porn” underscores the stylized presentation of human suffering for mass consumption, stripping victims of their humanity and reducing them to mere content for entertainment. This raises critical questions about ownership of grief, the narrative authority over such tragedies, and the beneficiaries of the visual exploitation of human suffering.
Amidst the political turmoil that often follows such disasters, various factions have begun politicizing the tragedy, shifting blame and capitalizing on the grief for their own agendas. The rampant disaster-peddling on social media has fueled a culture where assigning blame becomes a reflex response to tragedies, further exacerbating the pain and hindering genuine healing and reflection.
While changing the behaviors of millions of social media users may be a daunting task, it is imperative that we reconsider the content we engage with and support, ensuring that we do not inadvertently endorse platforms that profit off the exploitation of human tragedy.