Socially Unacceptable

I’ve written before my thoughts about the internet in general and social media in particular. There is so much information available on the internet now compared to just 15 years ago. In fact, I remember a commercial (I can’t remember what for) that came out not long after the internet started to take off … probably in the early 2000s. It showed a man sitting at a computer monitor, going through a number of sites. Finally, a voice from the computer says, “You’ve reached the end of the internet.” In other words, go do something else – there’s nothing else to see.

But boy! Has that changed! The search engine Google has evolved into its own verb. It’s what people do when they’re looking for information: “I’m going to Google that.” And, as many are finding out, not all the information found on the internet can be trusted … but that’s another topic for another time.

Another source of getting information is Apple’s Siri. I’m an Apple iPhone user. Many times when I’m getting my nails done and my nail girl and I are puzzled by something I pull out my phone and ask Siri, the virtual assistant. Typically, she’ll come up with an answer to my inquiry.

Facebook, predated by Myspace (remember that?), is about 15 years old and what a change it has brought to internet users. I mean, where else can you find endless photos of food? Of course, you can also find endless photos of grandchildren, too, so Facebook certainly has its merits.

Other social media sites, especially those that focus on local residents, are great resources to share experiences. For example, asking your “neighbors” about a new local restaurant or warning of suspicious persons in the area can be hugely beneficial.

Unfortunately, though, like other information found on the internet this information is not vetted, that is verified, by an outside source. While it is not devastating, just disappointing, to find out that the restaurant that a “neighbor” said was terrific turns out to be a dive, putting out false or incorrect information about people can damage their reputations if not their lives. For example, when a divorcing couple slams each other on social media it can be alarming to readers who are quick to judge and/or want to offer assistance when in fact none is needed.

This is just one example of the caution social media followers should exercise when reading these posts. Let’s face it: just about anyone can put anything out in the cybersphere and those who are not discerning will believe it. Just like the scams that we’ve all received (see Mary O’Keefe’s story on page 6), from Nigerian “officials” wanting to send the reader money to phishing expeditions where the recipient is asked to click on a link to receive something, social media followers must be wary when reading disturbing information about someone, especially someone in their community. Reacting to misinformation can be damaging and is definitely socially unacceptable.

  robin goldsworthy