Why are people holding up posters with the victim's name as if they were at a football game?

Question

Is this what we have come to, that we are so desperate for attention that we hold signs up in the hope that someone sees us and takes our picture? How self-centered. Whatever happened to respectful, introspective, quiet mourning?

Answer 1

This is an unprecedented tragedy that involves young people.

They are not well versed in proper expressions of grief - this may be their first encounter as a matter of fact.

Posters and flowers are commonly used to make shrines - they were probably not made for self-aggrandizement.
Have some sympathy.

Answer 2

Could be some foreign culture thing.

There are many death rituals. In Tibet they cut the diciest into bit sized chunks and feed the body to birds.