Student Life at International School Bangkok

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Student Life at International School Bangkok

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Student Life at International School Bangkok

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In previous years, Facebook has given its users the option of having profile picture filters to support important causes. First came the rainbow filter in support of same sex marriage and recently, a filter of the French flag to lend support to France after the attacks.

However, it is obvious that the options for these filters are very limited and many people question the message that Facebook is trying to spread by encouraging so much support for France but not for other countries. Complaints on social media include a tweet from @Aurora_Hysenl that read “Dear Facebook: Nice French flag overlay. But how do I change my profile picture to show solidarity with the people of Beirut?”

The day before the Paris attacks, suicide bombings in Beirut, Lebanon resulted in the deaths of 43 people and left hundreds injured. Yet there was no option to change your Facebook profile to show support for the people of Lebanon.

Back in April, almost 150 people died in Kenya after gunmen stormed a university. But there was no option to change your Facebook profile to a filter of the Kenyan flag or the Syrian flag in honor of the tens of thousands of civilians who have been killed in the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

The opinions here at the International School of Bangkok are mixed. While many students have added the French flag filter to their profile pictures, one student explained that they “will not be adding this filter to [their] profile because there are so many people out there who need our support and the French are only one small part of this.”

It should be noted that the people who decide not to use filter do care about France but also wonder why other countries aren’t getting the same attention. It seems that by letting users change their picture for France but not Lebanon, Kenya or Syria, Facebook is elevating the Paris attacks above other tragedies and saying, “this one is more important.”

As a result of this controversy, Facebook has decided to make a change. Thanks to a tool called lunapic, Facebook users can now superimpose multiple flags as their profile picture filter. A graphic designer named Hubert Southall is also creating filters for Lebanon, Iraq, and Kenya and taking requests for any other flags.

Finally we can show support for whatever nation we believe needs it and every cause that we support.

Antonina (Tosia) L

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