Exposing the dark side of Facebook disaster groups

Dear OneZero reader,

Where do you turn in times of need? For many, the answer is Facebook groups.

Close on the heels of practically every natural disaster — and certainly the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — Facebook groups emerge as a central hub for survivors to mourn, reconnect, and assist each other. These groups can swell to hundreds of thousands of members, and persist years after the disaster has passed. The group #HurricaneStrong, launched in the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, still has 460,000 members.

READ: Jealousy, Rumors, and Suspicion: How Facebook Disaster Groups Turn On Themselves

At their best, these groups can provide solace and resources to those who need it most. But these groups can also have a dark underbelly. Reporter Colleen Hagerty explores how one such group — Paradise Fire Adopt a Family — viciously turned on itself, swelling to 30,000 members and imploding within the span of a single year. For survivors of the fire who depended on the group, it was just another disaster.

Read the feature here, and thank you for following OneZero.

Michael Zelenko
Features Director, OneZero