YORK, Pa. — The frantic search for Gabby Petito's fiancé continues, still topping headlines, as the country mourns the loss of a young woman who's social media platforms showed a life full of happiness and promise.
"You have individuals who for one reason or another connected with the issues of the case and with Gabby – and then went the extra step," says Professor Charles Palmer of Harrisburg University.
In many ways it's the extra step he's referring to, the "digital detectives" or "true crime sleuths," who made this case what it was, a national sensation both on television and on social media.
"People see something sensational that’s happening out there and at the onset of this we found people on TikTok and Youtube who found it and grabbed on it – and were out there championing it," Palmer, who specializes in interactive media says, "and because they championed it so hard – the mainstream media picked it up as they often do."
As of this week, the hashtag #FINDGABBYPETITO, gained more than 700M views on TikTok, but what does that tell us about how we use social media during tragedies?
Stacey Irwin, a digital media expert at Millersville University, says that while for some it may just be casually following along while scrolling, for others, it can be addicting and problematic.
"This is really what Henry Jenkins calls 'participatory culture' in the video sense and social media sense because everybody can play a part in the true crime side of the piece...but it’s important to know that I don’t think technology is neutral, it has positive and negative effects, and we’re looking at a case right in front of us where we can see both the positive and negative effects playing out."
For the positives, authorities have said that some of the social media tips coming in have been helpful.
Petito's family members came forward to thank two YouTubers who reviewed personal video they took of their trip in Teton National forest where they noticed a van in the footage that matched the description of hers and alerted authorities.
As for negatives, Palmer says misinformation can be rampant.
"There were a lot of false leads that came out about this – sometimes it’s malicious – people wanting their 30 seconds of fame – saying I found information...and then not following up when it's not true"
Ultimately, Irwin says, while the national attention Gabby's case received did help, it’s important to remember that situations like these aren't reality shows playing out online – these stories are real life.
"Humans love stories and we get caught up in that...and we forget that this is a real-life crime, these are real people – and as a digital literate person you need to know when to separate yourself from those kinds of screens and those situations."