Just one day after two suicide bombers killed more than 40 people and injured more than 200 in Beirut's southern suburbs, the world turned its attention to Paris as attackers, claimed by ISIS, wreaked terror upon France's cultural hub.
As Lebanese were still reeling with shock of the devastating attack – the first bombing the city had experienced in more than a year – they turned to social media to express their solidarity with Parisians.
However, as the death toll in Paris grew to nearly 130 with hundreds more injured, Facebook activated its "safety check" feature, an option it has used for natural disasters in the past. The feature allows users to mark themselves as "safe," sending a notification to their friends and associates on the social media site.
Quickly, Lebanese and others on social media began to question why this feature was not initiated in the wake of Beirut's devastating terror attack.
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Facebook Safety Check is probably the quickest and most efficient way to report that you are safe following an attack....
Posted by BlogBaladi on Friday, November 13, 2015
Why didn't facebook make a "checked in safe" for Beirut last night? And this morning, 120 Syrians were killed by Russian...
Posted by Amru Salahuddien on Saturday, November 14, 2015
So, doesn't Beirut also deserve a safety check and global outrage?
Facebook has since added the option for users to add a French flag overlay to their profile image – another step that was lacking following the Beirut attacks – making it clear that the global social media site places far greater importance on lives lost in Paris than in the Middle East.
