Snapchat’s “heat map” shows extent of National Walkout Day.
Screenshot by Alexandra AbleToday at 10 a.m. local time at schools across the US, students walked out of class for 17 minutes to protest gun legislation. Each minute represents one of the 17 victims from the mass shooting last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.
Snapchat, widely preferred by teenagers over other social networks, offers a unique view of the magnitude of the walkouts. Its Snap Map feature — also called the “heat map” — shows numerous stories glowing red about the event.
Stories that glow blue mean that just a few Snaps were taken at a spot. However, stories that glow red means there are numerous Snaps — aka they are on “fire.”
As walkouts roll across the country from east to west, more stories appear glowing red on the Snap Map.
“We’d like to let these powerful walkouts organized by students speak for themselves,” said a representative for Snapchat. “And we’re glad that the Snap Map is one of the many tools people are using today to make their voices heard nationwide.”
Charlotte Alter a correspondent for Time posted to her Twitter account: “Student walkouts are basically the only events showing up on Snapchat map right now #nationalschoolwalkoutday“.
The National Rifle Association responded to the protests on its Twitter account with the following tweet:
This is a developing story.
First published Mar. 14, 10:49 a.m. PT.
Update, 11:24.m.: Adds tweets in reaction to the protests.
