- Thousands of students walked out of their schools on Wednesday to protest gun violence in the US and demand reform from lawmakers.
- Snapchat's Snap maps are helping visualize the national moment in an incredible way.
Snapchat's Snap Map is helping users around the world visualize the massive movement for stricter gun laws in the US, which is being led by high school students across the East coast.
Incredible moment on social media -- East coast schools are walking out, calling on Congress to act on gun violence. @Snapchat's @SnapMap feature visualizing this movement in the most amazing way... pic.twitter.com/Tx1YF3GQO2
— Tony Morrison (@THETonyMorrison) March 14, 2018
That dotted map is the result of 3,000 protests nationwide. The protests in the form of walkouts were organized in response to a mass shooting that took place at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, when a 19-year-old opened fire with an assault rifle, killing 3 adults and 14 teenagers, and hospitalizing 14 others.
Snapchat's popular Snap Map feature lets users locate friends and events on a map, with a heatmap for context, and then lets you tap for footage. Similar screenshots of the Map feature were shared when South Florida students organized walkouts in February in honor of the victims.
Snapchat's Map helps put the impact of this moment into perspective for bystanders in a way that news broadcasters might not be able to: by getting on the ground and then visualizing the number of them across the country.
SEE ALSO: Snapchat played a key visual role in the national student walkouts over gun violence — take a look
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