Twitter tragedy

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s life was turned upside down last Friday when his son passed away.

In the wake of such a tragedy, Twitter was alive with well-wishes.

Bryce Harper, the outfielder for the Washington Nationals, put it most eloquently when he tweeted “Prayers go out to @AdrianPeterson and his family! What a cruel world we live in! Truly unbelievable! #GodBless.”

Though no solace can truly come to a man who has lost his son, Twitter offers a venue for those to share in the man’s hurt and loss.

Social media is often blamed for a litany of issues in today’s world, including decreased productivity, lack of privacy and misguided understandings of what it means to be connected.

Friday night, though, offered us the opportunity to collectively mourn.

Peterson tweeted in three separate posts: “Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support.”

“The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players.”

“God Bless everyone and thank u so much.”

Coming together as a global community helped Adrian Peterson cope with the heinous reality that has become his own. It allows for healing, for caring and for unity.

Hurricane Sandy, the shooting at Newtown, Conn., and the Boston Marathon bombing were all met by Facebook posts, tweets, Instagram photos and more, showing support for those who were hurt or killed and for those families struggling through the difficult time.

There are always challenges when social media allows strangers to interact with whom they think they know.

Several media outlets and fans have tweeted pictures of Adrian and his other son, Adrian Jr, who is very much alive and healthy.

Just hours after taking to Twitter to thank his fans for their support, Peterson had to post again, this time asking that the public stop posting pictures in memory of a son that is safe and healthy in his father’s care.

Though the system has its flaws, the end result is that social media has the opportunity to do equal parts good and bad.

It is in moments of crisis that humanity has the chance to use the tools at its disposal to make the world just a little better.

­— azoot@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Austin Zoot on Twitter @austinzoot12.