Facebook becomes forum for supporters
Groups, wall posts flood Web site in honor of Va. Tech victims
Krysten Appelbaum
Virginia Tech Tragedy | 4/19/07
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The minutes, hours and days pass, yet the healing has only begun for thousands affected around the nation from the devastation on the campus of Virginia Tech.
All across the country, students logged on to sites like Facebook in an attempt to connect and begin the healing process.
The Facebook group "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting" that had 34,436 members at 8 p.m. Monday had over 245,000 members on Wednesday, along with nearly 15,000 wall posts.
The group's page is continuously updated with the latest information on the events at Va.
Tech along with links to other groups and sites where students can become more involved.
Images from vigils at universities around the country are available. Hundreds of graphics show the Va. Tech logo with a black ribbon alongside that of another colleges, symbolizing the unity of all students in remembrance of those affected.
Many Towson students have replaced their profile pictures with the black ribbon logo overtop the Towson athletic and school logos. Others simply made their image the black ribbon logo.
Towson senior Ashley Hart has a sister at Va. Tech. Hart created the group "Towson University Support the Virginia Tech Family" and 86 students had joined as of midnight Thursday.
According to a wall post, her sister was unharmed, however, three of her friends were shot in the massacre, all of whom have survived.
On the group's wall, Hart quoted her sister's AOL Instant Messenger away message: "We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech."
Above that post, TU class of 2006 alum Nadia Qadri said the impact of the shooting was starting to sink in.
"[The] first two days I was in complete shock. And now as I read about these beloved students, their friends, their family, it's all becoming a harsh reality," she wrote.
The most popular Towson group created in remembrance of the shootings is "TU Supporting Vtech," with more than 400 members.
Some students have responded in anger since the identity of the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, has been released. A search of his name shows at least 164 groups compiled by students showing various levels of rage. Several members use profanity to show their anger toward the Virginia Tech student that killed 32 people and then himself Monday.
One group, "F--k cho seung-hui," has over 1,600 members where students have posted messages of fury, such as, "This man did an absolutely horrible thing and it is a shame he shot himself cause there is a lot to justify and he should have to rot in jail."
All across the country, students logged on to sites like Facebook in an attempt to connect and begin the healing process.
The Facebook group "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting" that had 34,436 members at 8 p.m. Monday had over 245,000 members on Wednesday, along with nearly 15,000 wall posts.
The group's page is continuously updated with the latest information on the events at Va.
Tech along with links to other groups and sites where students can become more involved.
Images from vigils at universities around the country are available. Hundreds of graphics show the Va. Tech logo with a black ribbon alongside that of another colleges, symbolizing the unity of all students in remembrance of those affected.
Many Towson students have replaced their profile pictures with the black ribbon logo overtop the Towson athletic and school logos. Others simply made their image the black ribbon logo.
Towson senior Ashley Hart has a sister at Va. Tech. Hart created the group "Towson University Support the Virginia Tech Family" and 86 students had joined as of midnight Thursday.
According to a wall post, her sister was unharmed, however, three of her friends were shot in the massacre, all of whom have survived.
On the group's wall, Hart quoted her sister's AOL Instant Messenger away message: "We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech."
Above that post, TU class of 2006 alum Nadia Qadri said the impact of the shooting was starting to sink in.
"[The] first two days I was in complete shock. And now as I read about these beloved students, their friends, their family, it's all becoming a harsh reality," she wrote.
The most popular Towson group created in remembrance of the shootings is "TU Supporting Vtech," with more than 400 members.
Some students have responded in anger since the identity of the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, has been released. A search of his name shows at least 164 groups compiled by students showing various levels of rage. Several members use profanity to show their anger toward the Virginia Tech student that killed 32 people and then himself Monday.
One group, "F--k cho seung-hui," has over 1,600 members where students have posted messages of fury, such as, "This man did an absolutely horrible thing and it is a shame he shot himself cause there is a lot to justify and he should have to rot in jail."
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