AMMAN — Like millions
of others in the region and beyond, Jordanians were saddened and united on
social media platforms in their expressions of sympathy for the ordeal of
5-year-old Moroccan boy Rayan Oran over the past few days. Rayan was trapped in
a disused for five days, triggered a massive rescue mission that captivated the
whole world but sadly ended in tragedy.
اضافة اعلان
The immense public
solidarity with Rayan on social media emanated from multiple factors, Professor
of Sociology Hussein Alkhozahe told
Jordan News. One is that an innocent
child had to suffer such a horrific accident. Small children need protection
and support, and they are unable to survive on their own, he said, adding that
the fact that the rescue operation was carried live on TV and social media
added to the drama.
“The media played
a huge part in humanizing the story. Everyone followed the dramatic scenes [of
the rescue] and hoped for a moment of triumph by rescuing the child. The great
human dimension was there; that this child will stay alive and be rescued,”
Alkhozahe said.
Alkhozahe hopes
that this incident will act as a warning sign by raising awareness in the society.
“Any child can be
subjected to such a dangerous incident, but everyone was hoping for a different
end,” he added.
Social media
influencer, co-founder and CEO at Mode Marketing & PR
Zayna Al-Hamarneh
told
Jordan News that when disasters that involve children happen, “we
tend to stand together, and throughout the ordeal people showcased solidarity
through Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter”.
“We are emotional
about such things. Such a story impacts social media on so many levels;
sometimes it can trigger anger or sympathy, it sorrows and saddens users while
following story updates,” she added.
Mohammed Salah, a
tech blogger, told
Jordan News that Jordanians were massively engaged in
the incident because such events are a reminder of how “we are connected as
Arabs and how we can get together”.
“My main hope in
the past few days was that we, as Arabs, could find ways to come together. We
should not wait for a situation or an incident to do that,” he added.
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