In the weeks that followed, the tragedy at Astroworld attracted a national media uproar. However, rather than social media serving as an avenue to connect those grieving the 10 who passed, many users were quick to distort or exploit the tragedy for personal gain.
OPINION: Replacing condolences with conspiracies is a disrespectful new ‘norm’
By Isabella DeRose
The aftermath of a tragedy was once characterized by people coming together to aid the victims and their families, eager to amend the hardship by exhibiting unification and relentless support. However, the social media age has proven that even this unspoken formality is a concept of the past, for people would rather clout chase a tragedy by inserting their own conspiracies than express empathy towards those impacted.
This shift in the mass grieving process proved true when condolences were replaced with conspiracies after a fatal crowd surge at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival left eight dead and hundreds more injured. Rather than honoring the victims’ deaths with ‘thoughts and prayers’ or fundraisers to support the victims’ families, users on social media sites such as TikTok and Twitter exploited the attention focused on Astroworld to selfishly spread their ideologies and grow their following. Users were quick to coin Astroworld as ‘a demonic sacrifice’ in order to spread their belief that people should not be exposed to violent, explicit music such as Scott’s. Referencing Scott’s slogan “See you on the other side” and the image of what they perceived as a burning dove (but more arguably a phoenix rising from the ashes), users argued that Scott’s festival was really an undercover satanic ritual.
Though this conclusion is completely ridiculous and unbelievable to most, when users mix their personal conspiracies amidst existing hysteria, it manipulates those looking for answers/more information regarding the event to accept such theories as fact. The concept that social media exacerbates the spread of misinformation is not new, for social media provides people with ‘easy information’ that they can consume quickly and without questioning. This explains why it is so easy for people to hop on the conspiracy bandwagon--no matter how absurd the theories sound to outside ears-- for many fail to verify what they’ve been told through additional research.
Not only does the spread of false conspiracies following a tragedy elicit further hysteria and promote the spread of misinformation, but it also disrespects the victims and their suffering families. These users need to realize that they are creating a narrative about real people whose lives were flipped upside down in the matter of one night. Those grieving the loss of a loved one, which is traumatic in itself, must also deal with rumors that their loved one was a sacrifice to satan. Conspiracies delay, and arguably worsen, the grieving process for victims’ families because they illustrate victims as a pawn in someone’s cruel fantasy rather than a real person who lost their life.
Artwork by Natalynn Mariotti
In a frenzy to point fingers, fans look to place blame on the artist as more information is released about the festival tragedy.
OPINION: Burden of blame for Astroworld falls on Scott
By Tali Offir
As investigation continues with at least 10 dead and hundreds injured at the Astroworld festival in Houston on Nov. 5, fans are torn on who to blame. Many believe Travis Scott is the undeniable reason for the tragic outcome of the festival, but others are quick to say he is only receiving blame because he is the face of the event.
Scott’s fans, or what he calls “ragers,” sold out the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. Even those without tickets, ragers ran through barricades in order to attend the festival and get as close to the stage as possible. The final count was about 50,000 attendees, which was a large contributor to the danger of the festival.
Less than an hour into the festival, the crowd began pleading for help, chanting “stop the show” and begging for medical assistance. Approving a festival this large was a risk for city officials, specifically Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena, in the first place. The festival management and planning did not prevent the dangers of Scott’s fans infamous “mosh-pits,” a recipe for disaster.
It is not rare for attendees to be injured at concerts and festivals. However, many performers make an effort to check in on their fans, especially if they notice something in the crowd. Harry Styles and Billie Eilish, for example, stopped their performances when they suspected a fan was injured.
Fans attend festivals like these to see performers they admire. The most efficient way to prevent fans from suffering in a dangerous environment is having the performer take a break to relax the crowd. Scott, however, failed to acknowledge the distressed crowd and the pleads from his fans drowning in the uncontrolled mosh pits.
While it may not be fair to solely blame Scott for the tragedy, considering city officials approved this event and the festival planning was poor, he held the power during the shower that could have saved lives on that Friday night.
As more information and lawsuits unfold, it is no surprise that Travis Scott is receiving the blame. Personally, I understand that a tragedy like this involves more than one party. However, being the face of a festival as large as Astroworld comes with responsibilities, specifically ensuring the safety of your fans is not at risk.
Regardless of who’s to blame, lives were lost too soon and it is important to recognize that festival danger is a real problem. Even before the Astroworld tragedy, injuries at concerts and festivals happened all the time. While this was a terrible circumstance, this should be used as a wake up call for performers, management and festival goers to prevent adversities like these from happening again.
Photo courtesy of thecomeupshow (CC BY-ND 2.0)
The Astroworld tragedy, though devastating, sparked important conversations regarding festival safety and the spread of misinformation. Entertainers must learn from Scott's mistakes and prevent the past from repeating itself at all costs. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
-Isabella DeRose & Tali Offir