Sallying

My Two Cents on NotMissing Person Matt Hill

(This is “not intended as a factual statement.” I have no firsthand knowledge of the case. My observations and conclusions are based on internet research, and frankly I’m too annoyed to link right now. Google yield a flood of results but it’s mostly the same text.)

When I clicked this article I suspected it would discuss internet sensation Matt Hill who was reported missing high and low on social media during the days leading up to Memorial Day weekend. The Hill case is a convenient example for an article called “Finding Missing Persons: From Milk Cartons to Wall Posts and Tweets,” but the author obviously didn’t dig very deep.

Matt Hill dropped off a colleague and headed out of town for a long weekend. The 27-year-old didn’t tell his parents or his office about his plans. Someone freaked out and Facebook and Twitter went wild. Hundreds of people searched Capitol Hill on foot and undue resources were reportedly expended by D.C. law enforcement. He was compared frequently to Chandra Levy although I cannot for the life of me figure out why.

All that social media exposure accomplished zilch. Police tracked his car to his weekend retreat with a routine phone call and interrupted his vacation to confirm that he was actually never missing at all. I imagine he was appalled at all the attention, but I don’t know because Hill has not made a statement.

It was one grand mal overreaction amplified by social media. I have no idea what Hill was up to, but he should have been allowed to chill for a few days without having the entire D.C. community dragged into his personal life.

Something like this goes viral easily. It was easy to assume the message came directly from one of your immediate friends who was concerned for someone they care about, fueling the sense of urgency. Reposting is an easy gesture, and soon everyone on Facebook thinks Matt Hill is a friend of a friend. I reached out to several people who sent me the alert, and no one had previously heard of Hill, nor had the people who sent it to them. I’m still seeing retweets from people who obviously didn’t get the message that he was fine the whole time.

Thank prayer, if you wish, but don’t thank social media. This is a very interesting case study, but it is not a social media success story.

Of course it’s odd that Twitter was scrubbed and the Facebook Page was deleted almost immediately after Hill was “found.” No updates, no “thank you for your time and energy,” no opportunity for Hill to address his Fans. Very strange. There’s obviously more to the story, but we will probably never hear it.

Nor should we. It’s none of our business.