The D.C. Crash: A tragedy turned into viral mayhem

On January 29th, a passenger jet with 64 people on board, collided with an Army Helicopter near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. This tragic news has flooded phones and social media, leaving viewers searching for answers on how it happened and who was at fault. 

Almost instantly, the story of this crash began to grow increasingly popular on social media. Instagram Reels shared the Air Traffic Control’s audio, providing graphics and animations of each aircraft’s route over the Potomac River. I was witnessing hundreds of reels that dissected the event, on my feed. A common nature of social media speculation on what happened soon took over fact- it seemed like amateurs on social media were digging for answers, coming up with their own theories on what happened. None of which was confirmed by authorities. 

A detail that stuck with me during this time of havoc was when officials released the names of the victims involved in the crash… one name remained withheld. The family of the Army Helicopter pilot held back on sharing the details of their loved one who passed away. It sparked waves of curiosity and controversy on Social Media platforms. 

On February 1st, the Army released the name of the third soldier who died. Her name was Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach, from Durham, NC. Almost immediately, social media latched onto her identity - not with sympathy, but with scrutiny. As I was on my Instagram, I noticed reels about the pilot. She was suddenly “under-experienced,” and a “DEI hire,” twisting her death into a political debate. 

As an Army Reservist with friends in Army Aviation, hearing these stories about her experience flying and being “ill-equipped” to do her job was frustrating. She’d gone to one of the most competitive ROTC programs in the country and passed the Aviation Basic Officer Leadership Course, which requires a lot of skill. The amount of misinformation about her experience on social media was baffling to me. The perspective I saw on social media began to affect me, personally, as a female soldier. 

So how does this tragedy tie into social media?

It highlights the double-edged sword of online interactions. Social platforms allow for fast sharing, and sometimes, that comes with a feed of unchecked speculation and misplaced outrage. These platforms continue to shape public perception, and this incident serves as a reminder that behind viral clips and headlines, real lives are impacted. 

I think this National-level news resonates with smaller community-based social media outlets. Similar to the rapid sharing, I couldn’t help but think about Fizz on Meredith’s Campus. The app grew in popularity on campus and soon became a “warning sign” for students to share certain information on the app. 

Fizz has become the next hub for college students in a smaller community to rapidly and anonymously share information - whether it’s a funny meme or rude comment that is based on speculation or misplaced outrage. Many of the posts can influence perceptions and fuel debates. 

Similar to the reels and Instagram posts that turned Cpt. Lobach’s death into a political or negative topic, anonymous apps can just as easily twist narratives on a smaller scale. Whether it’s at the national scale or within a college campus, the responsibility to think critically before sharing something remains the same.