THE SPECTATOR: DANGERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PT. 2

  

Wow!  I did not realize there are so many nasty, rude people in Washington County.  Yesterday’s editorial about the dangers of posting untrue statements on social media seemed to bring out the worst in some people….and some additional untrue statements.  Sometimes no matter what you have to back up the facts, some people just don’t want to know the truth.  One person even commented that it was basically okay to spew a bunch of falsehoods if you also have some facts included.  That might fly on social media, but in the real media world, that will get you sued. 

My topic today is about the social media sites that play host to a lot of falsehoods, and thrive on peoples’ hate.  Unfortunately, these sites often hide behind words that seem legitimate enough….like “watching out for corruption”, “seeking accountability”, and others. These sites seek out anything they can find dealing with perceived or real missteps by law enforcement and public officials.  The administrators of these sites flood cities and counties with hundreds of requests for information, hoping to find anything that they can use on social media to harm law enforcement officers and public officials.  These sites often develop a following of people who feel they have been wronged by law enforcement or public officials.  But they also have people following them just for the spectacle they create.  And that’s a problem.  Some of these sites were started because the administrators were arrested, and they want to “get back” at officers and officials.  Some of them have even been in prison.  Some have sued the very city or county in which you live, trying to extort money from them.  Some have harassed elected officials hoping those officials would cave in and pay them the money.  But you don’t know that when you choose to follow their sites, do you.  Unfortunately, as their followers grow, so does their feeling of importance and legitimacy.  But anyone reading their posts should be able to see the hate hiding behind them.

Hate on social media can be very scary.  People say crazy things on social media….things they wouldn’t say in person.  KWHI will not allow such hate to invade out Facebook page.  We will simply block those that spew it.  KWHI is a source of news and information, not an instrument for people to attack others or us.  And that’s the way it looks to this Spectator.