IRRESPONSIBILITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Oct 19, 2017 Editorial

Social media is truly one of the amazing advances in modern communications technology that the world has seen since the last quarter of the 20th century. Indeed, the advent of social media has been generally acclaimed as a positive development with considerable promise to revolutionize communication, human interaction, and the regular media.
Social media, such as Facebook, has become big boost for freedom of speech and expression worldwide, especially in countries ruled by autocratic regimes that were known for repressing the fundamental human rights and freedoms of citizens, and the press.
It was social media that fueled the popular Arab spring uprisings that led to the overthrow of a number of autocratic regimes in North Africa and Middle East between 2010 and 2012. It was the most effective tool for information sharing and people mobilization.
Since its creation, social media has over the years been used to promote various worthwhile causes that have resulted in positive changes in countries, organizations and people around the globe. In its various dimensions, it has made communication and events instant and has transformed the world into a tiny village.
It is perhaps the most effective information tool to wage campaigns to ensure greater accountability, transparency, wrongdoings, corruption and scandals by governments and to some extent businesses.
In Guyana as in other countries, social media is like a thorn in our politicians from both sides of the aisle because lots of issues that the print media are afraid to report due to the threats of civil lawsuits are reported by social media which is protected by freedom of speech and expression. Social media has also driven such fear in the government which can no longer do and say what it likes or violate people’s rights. Many of our politicians would have liked to have the power to control social media or to file law suits against it.
However, it is true that some, but not the majority, have abused Social media and have used it as a channel of vendetta against their enemies. The growing concern today is more about the flagrant abuse of social media to spread gossip, rumour and stir up public panic and fear with fake news. Many of us are very familiar with this ugly side of social media here in Guyana.
Even though we have the right to freedom of speech and expression, the reckless abuse of social media and the vulgarity that accompanies several postings clearly suggest a need for some kind of protocol establishing guidelines for its acceptable use.
The objective is not to limit freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but to ensure that users accept an obligation to act responsibly and that their postings would not be harmful to children and youths who also have access to it as well. As a people, we should refrain of using the common parlance, “This is my right and I can write and say whatever I want to.” Such thinking clearly informs how many persons use social media to post whatever they feel with no consideration of the consequences of their actions on others.
This certainly is not a fine example of the citizen journalism which some observers have said would have been spawned by social media to provide competition for the traditional media.
The traditional media are unable to hide behind anonymity, as is so easily done on social media. Traditional media may fall short occasionally, but they have generally lived up to their responsibility to ensure the dissemination of accurate information.
Much concern has also been expressed about the widespread practice of posting gruesome images on social media. But people seem to have a huge appetite for such images which are generally not made available on traditional media. Social media should be used more responsibly.

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IRRESPONSIBILITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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