A #Col(l)ectiv(e) Romanian Tragedy. A Case Study on Social Media Fighting Corruption

Abstract

The fire occurred at the #Colectiv Club in the Romanian capital city, Bucharest, on October 31st, 2015 and caused 64 deaths. The reactions of all public institutions, which should have provided explanations to the public opinion, were delayed and incomplete. The aim of this study is to explain the role played by the social media, especially Facebook, in the events that followed the tragedy at ‘Colectiv’ Club. Summarizing the literature, we are going to illustrate how Romanian citizens have turned to social media as a channel which managed to: a) provide reliable information in real time about the unfortunate event, b) organize protests against the political actors held responsible and c) rally people and the medical or financial resources necessary either for the proper treatment of the people hospitalized in Romania or for moving them in hospitals abroad. The protests involving tens of thousands of people in all major cities, being directed against the political class considered corrupt were organized and promoted in the social media and led to the resignation of the government held responsible for the tragedy at the club.

Keywords: social media, anti-corruption, Romania, 2015, 2.0 protests, framing theory