The Politics of The Media & The Search for Lauren Spierer

On the night of June 3, Indiana University student Lauren Spierer went missing. The 20-year-old left a local sports bar, and never made it back to her apartment just blocks away. Lauren, a New York native, has a life-threatening heart condition called Long QT Syndrome that can be fatal without medication. The search for Lauren is still ongoing, but thanks to the power of social media, people all over the country are getting involved and spreading the word.

The news of Lauren’s disappearance shook the entire IU campus. Even though my friends and I don’t know Lauren personally, we’re all Hoosiers– the same thing could have happened to us. So my friends at the School of Journalism did what they do best: they started reporting. The Indiana Daily Student website provides constant updates on the search for Lauren, both for the Bloomington community and for those of us who are too far away to help in person.

But something even bigger happened– Facebook and Twitter feeds exploded within hours with information about when and where Lauren was last seen, what she was wearing, and what people could do to help. Lauren’s friends started a Facebook page to spread information across the country, which now has more than 26,000 members.

Twitter, which many considered to be a passing fad, has become one of the leading sources of up-to-date information about the search. The @NewsOnLaurenS Twitter account has more than 12,000 followers across the country, as of Wednesday. The page tweets updates each time the police releases new information. The account also tweets information about the meeting time and location of volunteer search parties. Thanks to national exposure, Wednesday’s search party had more than 250 volunteers. #FindLauren is a trending topic on Twitter, and celebrities like Zooey Deschanel and Ryan Seacrest have used their star power to spread the word.

The national exposure that social media provides ensures that people across the country will get involved in the search for Lauren, whether they’re donating their time, money, or awareness. This sad occurrence also proves that Twitter doesn’t just perpetuate fake scandals like Weinergate, it can serve a bigger purpose: keeping people informed and united in times of trouble.

It’s important to keep spreading the word, and more importantly, to help. If you’re near Bloomington, follow @NewsOnLaurenS for information about search parties each day. Or, you can go to the IU Hillel website to donate money to the search committee. If you have tips, call the Bloomington Police Department at 812-339-4477.