It’s really quite disturbing to read some posts on these social networks/blogs, there is repulsive insalubrious fascist posts from all walks of life and religious backgrounds! Is this truly our lot? To spend every waking hour, trying to counter this repugnant blemish in our society and the world?
I’m beginning to understand the saying “The pen is mightier than the sword” now more than ever, maybe it was a prediction that we shall fight injustice ultimately not by the sword, but by the word, but not necessarily solely by ink, but also by the letters of the keyboard! Not only do blogs have the potential to be read by vast numbers of people, but also in this modern age of news reporting as well as blogging, now provides the means for comments to be posted by the readers. The result of which, provides a truly interactive medium for healthy debates.
It is from this forum that the leeches are now swarming out from under their slimy stones and holes, from the very dark corners of our society. Now for the first time, more than ever do we interact, albeit cyber-interaction, with these people. But rather than healthy debate taking place, in its place is vile attacks, slander and accusations etc. The concept of civil debate thrown out the window and all is let loose, like a wild fire out of control.
So the question is, as far as I am concerned, At what point do we realise that the objective is long lost and replaced by rhetoric and quarrel, in such a way that compels us to continue to reply, even though we are at our wits end battling against intransigent views? Eventually we are drained of all of our vigour, left limp and wilting, like sunbaked seaweed lying on the rocks at the beach.
Recently, I joined a group on facebook, the cause of which I passionately supported for many reasons. After joining and reading many of the posts and comments, I felt compelled to add my own comments; bearing in mind at this point most of the posts/comments taking place was fully supportive with the odd inflammatory post by agitators. So everything was civil and pleasant for the most part, then things began to deteriorate rapidly, accusations started flying around, extremely disturbing racist/fascist comments/posts started to appear. Then end result being major censorship by the administrators, not only of valid inappropriate material, but also of anything else they deemed inappropriate, even if it wasn’t provocative, but simply because if was off the main point. Thus, the group suddenly and quickly transpired in to a narrow and blinkered debate!
I personally experienced accusations which were deeply hurtful and utterly inappropriate and untrue, due the administrators deleting posts they deemed offensive or inappropriate, which left one of my comments looking distinctively out of place, so people jumped the gun and made false accusations in my direction. As a result, I had to then redeem my by then tattered reputation to the person who made the remark and anyone who read the subsequent abusive remarks, which coincidently was NOT removed. Fortunately, I managed to resolve the issue with the person in question and I noticed a short time later they deleted their remarks. But the damage was already and possibly irreversible done. If anyone who read those original abusive remarks didn’t follow up on what happened, then I am officially reflected in their eyes based on what they read.
It’s a double edged knife; we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.
I’ve realised one thing from my own personal experience of the above, that some of these people are not there to challenge or to offer a different perspective, but are purely there to agitate and to irritate. And we like the fools we are fall in to the trap, hook, line and sinker, every time.
I naively joined these social networks thinking I would get involved in healthy debates and learn new things from others, whilst expressing my own thoughts, understandings and imparting what modest knowledge I have acquired in my life. Whilst this path potentially still exists, one has to trek and negotiate through a multitude of undesirable paths, which if you wander in to from the main path, will ultimately lead to unpleasantness, both internally as well as externally.
In conclusion to this boring blog, which I’m sure no will read here is an urban dictionary definition to ponder on; http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Social+Networking
