Any #JesuisIraq planned?*

Abstract

Abstract The stem #jesuis followed by a toponym (e.g. #jesuisParis) has proved to be very productive in the gathering of affective publics (Papacharissi 2015) around causes of mourning, after terrorist attacks and other disasters. However, not all attacks have given rise to such massive affective use of #jesuis hashtags. Our goal is to examine how Twitter users claim similar displays of affect for these “other” places. We analyze 297 tweets in which the Twitter user utters a condolence speech act while simultaneously contesting the unbalanced affective reactions expressed concerning some places, e.g. “Any #JesuisIraq planned?”. We observe the geographical granularity of the referred place, the structural complexity of the tweet and, if present, the underlying motives for unbalanced reactions suggested by the Twitter users. By doing so, we show how Twitter is used to claim attention for places that are deemed underrepresented, thus confirming the importance of Twitter for expressing solidarity.