From the moment the news of Michael Brown's shooting started coming out of Ferguson, two social networks became the go-to places to get updates on the growing unrest that followed: Twitter and Vine. (H/T to Antonio French.)
As ValleyWag points out, on the business side of things, Twitter is basking in some positive press. The situation showcased how they can play a key role in spreading news quickly and sparking conversation — more so than its competitors, Facebook and Instagram. So, it's understandable that if you're a Twitter employee, you would take pride that the tool you helped create/maintain is playing a major role in what's turning out to be one of our decade's defining moments. Though, this isn't much different from how Twitter was used in Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring. And this time, Twitter felt compelled to do mark the occasion in their headquarters with some slabs of paint:
came into work to see #Ferguson tagged in the #TwitterHQ commons. #lovewhereyouwork pic.twitter.com/6DAgPF9ScH
— Elyssa Toda (@Elyssa) August 21, 2014
Outside of running their network, it doesn't seem as if Twitter did anything out of their way to promote what's happening in Ferguson. That fell on the users who risked their lives to be there, and the content they uploaded. Some of those users took exception to the display:
@Elyssa @Dreamdefenders Yet #Ferguson is not trending. Why is that? @Twitter
— Kim Johnson (@CityNewsKJ) August 21, 2014
Yet they didn't let it trend “@Elyssa: came into work to see #Ferguson tagged in the #TwitterHQ commons. pic.twitter.com/Tpuo07Ene9”
— Shmazierapproves (@frazierapproves) August 21, 2014
Hey @Elyssa, #ferguson might be at twitter, but it definitely isn't ON @twitter pic.twitter.com/jg4oNyo8j6”
— jack matranga (@jackthomasm) August 21, 2014
So, is this supposed to show solidarity with the people of Ferguson? Is it a self-congratulatory reminder that they bested their social media competitors? Well, it shouldn't matter. Twitter's co-founder, Jack Dorsey — who is a native of Missouri — has marched with Ferguson protestors for days. If we're going to judge Twitter by anything, it shouldn't be by what they put up on a wall.
