Why the Titan submarine disappearance led to public schadenfreude

After an intense five-day search operation, the devastating outcome of the ill-fated Titan submersible's expedition to explore the deep-sea remains of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean has come to light. The discovery of major sections of the submersible has left no hope for the survival of the five-man crew, presumed to have met an instantaneous death when the vessel imploded.

The dire circumstances surrounding the tragedy were not entirely unforeseen. James Cameron, renowned director of the iconic 1997 Titanic movie and a veteran of 33 dives to the wreck, has voiced his apprehensions regarding the experimental nature of the submersible's engineering. He suggested "arrogance and hubris" led to the disastrous demise of both vessels.

For the past week, the disappearance of the submersible has captured widespread attention, generating a flurry of discussions across social media and extensive coverage in the press. 

On social media, the general conversation was driven by mass amusement in the situation. Details have emerged about the Titan submersible that have seemingly pushed internet commenters into a frenzy. From the off-brand bluetooth PlayStation controller they adapted to control the craft, to the escape door that can only be opened from the outside; the entire endeavour outwardly seems designed to go wrong. Added to that each participant paid $250,000 for the pleasure, and the irony isn’t hard to see.

Moreover, the unfolding drama had another peculiar and risible side plot. One of the passenger’s stepsons was seen on Twitter trying to leverage the situation to get a meet & greet at a Blink 182 concert.

That the situation for the Titan submersible has echoes of the tragicomic storyline to Ruben Östlund’s 2022 Palme D’Or