Social media abuse is about terrorism, bullying, misogyny and a toxic culture of division.
Resentment has festered as reality television and social media has highlighted for many the disparity between rich and poor.
We are also becoming a society that is intolerant of different opinions and less open to balanced debate or trying to understand different points of view.
What is sad is not only the deaths and misery inflicted, but that the simplistic solutions proposed will not change the fact this exists. We are faced with it both online and in the real world.
It happens on the street, schools and football field. Social media isn't the problem. It is our inability to deal with the root causes.
Will simplistic notions of silencing the nastiness make a difference? It creates the illusion it's not there where we are on social media. Will they simply communicate their anger in another way? We are simply burying our head in the sand and less aware that the threat is out there. Is that not more dangerous?
What we see on social media is a reflection of our world. If we don't like the direction it's going, we need to address people's feelings of helplessness, financial worries, ideological difference and unhappiness.
Happy empowered wealthy morally concerned individuals rarely go around trying to kill or physically hurt others. Perhaps it's just too hard to make a society we are proud of. Perhaps it's easier to sweep problems under the rug and pretend it's not there.
The tragic death of UK MP David Amass has sparked a debate about social media.
I write anonymously. I was not born John Smith. I choose to not have my name plastered all over the internet. Not everyone wants fame or to be nasty. I just want to be heard. My voice would be silenced. Whilst I have become less active on social media in recent months, I do think it is important that it allows different people to communicate, raise awareness and express themselves. I choose to ignore or avoid certain types, but that is my choice.
Without anonymity, would we have Banksy and Daft Punk? Anonymity allows for creativity and exploration.
Public figures cannot always avoid social media abuse and we do need to find ways to address it. They can block or report people if they choose to. What we need is to teach everyone, young and old, what is bad behaviour. Perhaps what we need is more training on what to do with bad behaviour on the internet.
Social media has many positive elements for change. It allows us to connect and learn in ways we never imagined. It fosters creativity and who knows what else we will do as a species with this technology. There are also many lovely and kind people on social media.
What would be great is to see:
- Opportunities created for everyone, not just specific highly visible challenged groups.
- More forums and accessibility for healthy discussion for people to raise their concerns and for practical steps to be taken to address issues.
- A detailed and coherent look at how we can truly be safer.
The problems we face require governments, corporations including social media companies, charities and individuals to find an intelligent way forward.
This is my opinion on a troubling issue. Whether my views will no longer be allowed to be written, well that might be a slippery path to further erosion of our liberties. Social media abuse must be addressed, but the how is still elusive.
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