> At a Glance
> – Students at Brown University turned to Sidechat for real-time updates during a Dec. 13 shooting.
> – Posts began 15 minutes before the university’s first official alert.
> – Students shared sheltering tips, emotional support, and misinformation while campus remained on lockdown.
> – Why it matters: Social media is now a primary tool for students during emergencies, often outpacing official communication.
When a gunman opened fire inside Brown University’s academic building during finals week, students didn’t wait for official alerts. Instead, they turned to Sidechat, an anonymous campus message board, to share real-time updates, fears, and survival tips.
Real-Time Panic on Sidechat
As crowds fled the Barus and Holley building, students began posting frantic messages. At 4:06 p.m., one asked: “Why are people running away from B&H?” By 4:10 p.m., another warned: “STAY AWAY FROM THAYER STREET NEAR MACMILLAN 2 PEOPLE JUST GOT SHOT.”
The university’s first alert didn’t go out until 4:21 p.m. – by then, the shooter had already left campus.
- Students posted while hiding under library tables and barricading doors.
- One wrote: “Door is locked windows are locked I’ve balanced a metal pipe thing on the handle.”
- Another shared a selfie from a hospital bed with the caption: #finalsweek.
Misinformation and Emotional Overload
As lockdown stretched into the night, students struggled with fear, hunger, and isolation. Some urinated in trash cans rather than risk leaving their rooms. Others drank to cope. International students shared that their parents were awake across time zones, terrified.
Despite the chaos, students tried to verify information. A Google Doc was created to compile confirmed updates. Others shared police scanner transcripts and warned against trusting AI summaries.
Still, false reports spread – including claims the shooter had been caught. These were later debunked.
A Campus Changed Forever
By Sunday morning, the lockdown had lifted. Snow had fallen – the first of the season – but the moment felt broken.
- Students wandered campus in a daze.
- Flowers appeared at the gates and outside Barus and Holley.
- Blood donation centers saw a surge in volunteers.
Many said the snow, once a joy, now felt like a reminder of the lives lost and the innocence gone.
> “Snow will always be bloody for me,” one student posted.
Brown officials later confirmed the suspect was found dead in New Hampshire from a self-inflicted wound. He was also linked to the killing of an MIT professor.
Key Takeaways
- Students used Sidechat to fill a critical information gap during the shooting.
- Posts began 15 minutes before the university’s first alert.
- The platform became both a lifeline and a source of misinformation.
- The emotional toll on students was profound and lasting.
The event marked a turning point in how students experience and respond to campus crises – not through official channels, but through peer-to-peer digital networks.
