Unintended Consequences Of Social Media Today
When Death And Destruction Occurs When Claims Are Taken At Face Value (Mob Mentality Takes Hold)
Something
horrible happened in Mexico a couple months ago. Two men were burned to
death because they were accused of abducting children. The event took
place in Acatlán, Mexico. People were alerted to the reporting that they
were child abductors in the area. Mob rule took over, and two men were
accused of the crime. They were taken into the local police station and
the police investigated them, to discover that they hadn't committed any
crimes. The two men, Ricardo Flores (21 years old), and his uncle Alberto Flores (43 years old) were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The people, embraced by fear and paranoia, accused them. Despite the declaration from the authorities that the two men were innocent, the people refused to embrace the claim. The accusations, which were made by many on WhatApp; which is a messaging-sharing app owned by Facebook, openly accused the two of the crime. The uncontrollable mob was in a frenzy as donations were collected to buy the gasoline that the two were eventually burned alive with. The two men were lit on fire and consumed by the flames.
The people, embraced by fear and paranoia, accused them. Despite the declaration from the authorities that the two men were innocent, the people refused to embrace the claim. The accusations, which were made by many on WhatApp; which is a messaging-sharing app owned by Facebook, openly accused the two of the crime. The uncontrollable mob was in a frenzy as donations were collected to buy the gasoline that the two were eventually burned alive with. The two men were lit on fire and consumed by the flames.
That Double-Edge Sword Called Social Media
Fear And paranoia
has brought the worst out of people. A situation that was made a lot
worse by the rise of social media. On one hand, as what Robert Evans of
the Behind The Bastards
Podcast pointed out, Facebook is simply a tool. It doesn't have any
positive or negative attributes. It's neither good nor evil. The tools
attributes are determined by those that use it. Unfortunately, a tool
designed to bring people together turned into a tool for division and
genocide. People received the false claim and immediately reacted to the
news on impulse, which checking whether the accusations made had any
merit or not.
Social media is like a double edge sword. The technology can lead to a lot of greater understanding. Various people from various cultures can now communicate with each other in real-time. This helps enhances the concept of peace through understanding.
However, this seldom the case. Since anyone can plug into social media, these platforms can also be used for those that embrace ideas consumed with hate. Social media can become a breeding ground for white-supremacist and anti-Semitic groups. Conspiracy theorist regular blast the empty claims made by Infowars, and have embraced Alex Jones as a saint in the process. Holocaust deniers make there regular rounds on social media as well. The baseless claims made by Trump are embraced and spread as the gospel by many of his supporters without fact-checking whether the claims made are valid. Russian hackers have created a fake Facebook profiles with the intent of causing even more division within the country by creating divisive political content geared towards hot-button issues.
There has been known cases of where Facebook has exposed domestic violence survivors. Users are required to enter the real name when setting up a account. Users who are also LGBTQ can be targeted as well because of this policy in many parts of the world as well due to the real-name policy.
Facebook has been slow to address the issues. Their reaction and response only came when the public outcry became very vocal and they were under investigations over what happened. Recently, CNBC published a story from information collected from various company employees describing a organization that was more like a cult than a corporation. Employees forced to be happy and not speak ill of the company. Employees staying on top and avoid firing by not disclosing known issues with it's platform. Problems that would have been discovered if the company was much more open to them and wasn't always concerned about profits and getting users. Problems that would explode around the 2016 Election, but have been years in the making.
Facebook started of with good, noble intentions (this is where one can apply the "All Paths To Hell Were Paved With Good Intentions" saying that's been used so many times that it became a empty cliche that has little meaning), but the company became consumed with profits, and didn't recognize the pressing issues at hand. There lack of response to the growing crisis made the problem exponentially worse.
Social media is like a double edge sword. The technology can lead to a lot of greater understanding. Various people from various cultures can now communicate with each other in real-time. This helps enhances the concept of peace through understanding.
However, this seldom the case. Since anyone can plug into social media, these platforms can also be used for those that embrace ideas consumed with hate. Social media can become a breeding ground for white-supremacist and anti-Semitic groups. Conspiracy theorist regular blast the empty claims made by Infowars, and have embraced Alex Jones as a saint in the process. Holocaust deniers make there regular rounds on social media as well. The baseless claims made by Trump are embraced and spread as the gospel by many of his supporters without fact-checking whether the claims made are valid. Russian hackers have created a fake Facebook profiles with the intent of causing even more division within the country by creating divisive political content geared towards hot-button issues.
There has been known cases of where Facebook has exposed domestic violence survivors. Users are required to enter the real name when setting up a account. Users who are also LGBTQ can be targeted as well because of this policy in many parts of the world as well due to the real-name policy.
Facebook has been slow to address the issues. Their reaction and response only came when the public outcry became very vocal and they were under investigations over what happened. Recently, CNBC published a story from information collected from various company employees describing a organization that was more like a cult than a corporation. Employees forced to be happy and not speak ill of the company. Employees staying on top and avoid firing by not disclosing known issues with it's platform. Problems that would have been discovered if the company was much more open to them and wasn't always concerned about profits and getting users. Problems that would explode around the 2016 Election, but have been years in the making.
Facebook started of with good, noble intentions (this is where one can apply the "All Paths To Hell Were Paved With Good Intentions" saying that's been used so many times that it became a empty cliche that has little meaning), but the company became consumed with profits, and didn't recognize the pressing issues at hand. There lack of response to the growing crisis made the problem exponentially worse.
This Isn't Just A American Issue
Horrible events have been occurring a Myanmar. A genocide has been taking place there against the Rohingya Muslimsthere
by Buddhist extremist. As a result, several of the Muslims have fought
back in isolated attacks, escalating the violence in the process. A
genocide that is being used as a breeding ground for future Muslim
extremist and terrorist.
The destructive violence and genocide that's resulted was made much worse by the use of social media there. There isn't a Myanmar equivalent to PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, or Snopes. As a result, there are few resources for those in that situation to get factual reporting of events. A problem that's compounded as Facebook is now the equivalent of newspaper over there. Many will post claims about how hordes of Muslim invaders have devastated Buddhist communities. Claims that are false and don't have merit. But yet, for those that can't fact-check these claims, they are taken at face-value and used as justification the ethnic cleansing there.
Vice-versa, the genocide is being used by Radical Muslims as a recruitment tool to bring in new members. It's already validated fact that Muslim extremist use the internet as a recruitment tool as well. The events in Myanmar, fed by social media, is contributing to the worst genocide in recent history, along with inspiring a new generation of radical extremist that will embrace terrorism and the destructive forces that it brings.
As in America, Facebook has been slow in its response to this humanitarian disaster and the role that its platform played in it. It's been known that several in Myanmar were using Facebook to promote the genocide since it started. The company had it's standard practices of reporting offensive content there, but those instructions were in English. That doesn't do much good in a country where the vast majority of people don't speak the language. Facebook has been making a much greater effort to address the grievances made by rolling out new guidelines in the native language, as well as hiring more people locally in the country to specifically spot fake content. However, many could argue that these steps should have been done before the problem exploded.
As noted in the Frontline article, parallels could be drawn between Myanmar and Rwanda, where misinformation that justified the genocide was spread over radio. In Myanmar, Facebook is the radio for those carrying out the genocide. No filters on social media had created a climate of fear and paranoia that has helped contributed to the worst ethnic cleaning in modern history.
There has been violence against Muslims and other minorities fueled by Facebook and social media in Sri Lanka and Indonesia as well.
The destructive violence and genocide that's resulted was made much worse by the use of social media there. There isn't a Myanmar equivalent to PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, or Snopes. As a result, there are few resources for those in that situation to get factual reporting of events. A problem that's compounded as Facebook is now the equivalent of newspaper over there. Many will post claims about how hordes of Muslim invaders have devastated Buddhist communities. Claims that are false and don't have merit. But yet, for those that can't fact-check these claims, they are taken at face-value and used as justification the ethnic cleansing there.
Vice-versa, the genocide is being used by Radical Muslims as a recruitment tool to bring in new members. It's already validated fact that Muslim extremist use the internet as a recruitment tool as well. The events in Myanmar, fed by social media, is contributing to the worst genocide in recent history, along with inspiring a new generation of radical extremist that will embrace terrorism and the destructive forces that it brings.
As in America, Facebook has been slow in its response to this humanitarian disaster and the role that its platform played in it. It's been known that several in Myanmar were using Facebook to promote the genocide since it started. The company had it's standard practices of reporting offensive content there, but those instructions were in English. That doesn't do much good in a country where the vast majority of people don't speak the language. Facebook has been making a much greater effort to address the grievances made by rolling out new guidelines in the native language, as well as hiring more people locally in the country to specifically spot fake content. However, many could argue that these steps should have been done before the problem exploded.
As noted in the Frontline article, parallels could be drawn between Myanmar and Rwanda, where misinformation that justified the genocide was spread over radio. In Myanmar, Facebook is the radio for those carrying out the genocide. No filters on social media had created a climate of fear and paranoia that has helped contributed to the worst ethnic cleaning in modern history.
There has been violence against Muslims and other minorities fueled by Facebook and social media in Sri Lanka and Indonesia as well.
How That Destructive Force Called Nationalism Is
Making A Comeback Via Social Media
Making A Comeback Via Social Media
On November 11, we
celebrated Veteran's Day.. This Veteran's Day had more recognition as it
marked the 100 anniversary that World War 1 ended. A war that was
started because of that devastating force called Nationalism. Millions
of people the world over died because of the idea that there countries
were better than the other. A idea that is making a massive comeback
with the help of social media.
In India, Nationalism is being driven by the post on Facebook. As reported in the BBC article, many people, discontent with mainstream media, have embraced social media. Like in our country as well, many people over there have believe anything they read on there feed. Many will post on impulse without validated whether the information that was presented was factual or not.
A situation compounded by the fact the that many will seek information that is meant to be divisive in nature. Studies have been done that showed that national pride that was a result of divisive post have risen. Post that appeals to people's fears and paranoia about the current political climate there. As a result, there is a rising tide of nationalism in India that's being driven by social media there. As with out country, many of those who feel that they are the most informed are often the most misinformed, but yet, feel that they can confidently decipher fake news.
In India, Nationalism is being driven by the post on Facebook. As reported in the BBC article, many people, discontent with mainstream media, have embraced social media. Like in our country as well, many people over there have believe anything they read on there feed. Many will post on impulse without validated whether the information that was presented was factual or not.
A situation compounded by the fact the that many will seek information that is meant to be divisive in nature. Studies have been done that showed that national pride that was a result of divisive post have risen. Post that appeals to people's fears and paranoia about the current political climate there. As a result, there is a rising tide of nationalism in India that's being driven by social media there. As with out country, many of those who feel that they are the most informed are often the most misinformed, but yet, feel that they can confidently decipher fake news.
The Effects Of Facebook On The 2011 Egyptian Revolution
Was A Distributing Foreshadow Off How The 2016 Election Played Out
Was A Distributing Foreshadow Off How The 2016 Election Played Out
At first, it
appeared that the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 was going to be a success
story for Facebook. The platform was widely used by political activist
as a way of uniting under a common cause and overthrow a brutal
dictatorship. Unfortunately, many of the opponents of the Revolution saw
Facebook as a valuable tool as well.
Fake news started to become a lot more frequent is Egyptian politics. A lot of He said/She said was occurring, while no fact checking was done on the claims made. A very divisive political climate formed as a result of the fake news. Many of these issues were reported to Facebook. In hindsight, they seemed uninterested in fixing the issues. The company was growing at a exponential rate, and the emphasis was making more money. To do this, the number of users needed to grow rapidly as a result, consequences be damned. "They can figure it out later" would become the typical mindset. A environment tainted by the emerging stories of Facebook being more like a cult than a company. Employees afraid of casting there company in a negative light and feeling forced to put on a "happy face" when all was not well. Problems were ignored and swept under the rug.
Since the problems that occurred during the Egyptian Revolution were ignored, nothing was done to combat fake news. The scene was set for the flood of fake news that would occur during the 2016 election.
Fake news started to become a lot more frequent is Egyptian politics. A lot of He said/She said was occurring, while no fact checking was done on the claims made. A very divisive political climate formed as a result of the fake news. Many of these issues were reported to Facebook. In hindsight, they seemed uninterested in fixing the issues. The company was growing at a exponential rate, and the emphasis was making more money. To do this, the number of users needed to grow rapidly as a result, consequences be damned. "They can figure it out later" would become the typical mindset. A environment tainted by the emerging stories of Facebook being more like a cult than a company. Employees afraid of casting there company in a negative light and feeling forced to put on a "happy face" when all was not well. Problems were ignored and swept under the rug.
Since the problems that occurred during the Egyptian Revolution were ignored, nothing was done to combat fake news. The scene was set for the flood of fake news that would occur during the 2016 election.
Conclusion
People become there
own worst enemies when we embrace fear and paranoia. There is no need
for a pariah because we make our own best pariahs. A problem that has
been compounded by the untended consequences of social media. Many
people will believe anything they read on social media at face-value
without research. In some places, this mentality have lead to some very
horrific situations where hole groups of people have been displaced.
People have been burned because of it, and many others are seeing
perceived enemies that aren't there.
Solving today's polarization requires people to start researching claims made by political pieces and memes that many post. The days of people just believing anything they read has to end in order for us to tackle the pressing issues facing our country and world today. If we don't do research into sensationalist pieces, then there's no telling what will happen next because of the unintended consequences of social media.
Solving today's polarization requires people to start researching claims made by political pieces and memes that many post. The days of people just believing anything they read has to end in order for us to tackle the pressing issues facing our country and world today. If we don't do research into sensationalist pieces, then there's no telling what will happen next because of the unintended consequences of social media.
Burned to death because of a rumour on WhatsApp
BBC
WWW.BBC.COM
As Facebook Addresses Role in Myanmar Violence, Look Back at Early Warnings
FRONTLINE
WWW.PBS.ORG
The Facebook Dilemma
FRONTLINE
WWW.PBS.ORG
Inside Facebook's 'cult-like' workplace, where dissent
is discouraged and employees pretend to be happy all the time
CNBC
WWW.CNBC.COM
How Facebook Exposes Domestic Violence Survivors
The Daily Beast
WWW.DAILYBEAST.COM
Nationalism a driving force behind fake news in India, research shows
BBC
WWW.BBC.COM
Where Countries Are Tinderboxes and Facebook Is a Match
NYTIMES
WWW.NYTIMES.COM
NYTIMES
WWW.NYTIMES.COM
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