ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA

It is no longer the final frontier where no-one has gone before. It is a vast region filled with stupidity. Anybody who visits a social media site like Facebook and news feeds will quickly discover an over-abundance of idiotic comments and posts that appear in response. There is a wealth of foolishness out there behind the screens, barely literate fingers poised over the keyboard, many of which have been set to Caps-lock and have a permanently depressed ‘!’ key. We’ve all see those ranting diatribes. 

What kind of person responds in such a politically incorrect manner, unleashing anti-social remarks that reveal moral and ethical bankruptcy, narcissism, projection, disassociation, and unhinged comments which demonstrate sociopathy on a scale that needs serious medication? How is it possible that folks so off their axle can be allowed to continue without censure, moving from one post to the next, trolling and inflicting themselves to cause as much misery as they can wherever they go?

Well, in many cases, it’s a lack of Administration on a site. In the case of Facebook it’s deliberate, a vile act of indifference that sets the example for every troll roaming about their sites. Facebook uses automated systems to respond to most complaints, as much as ninety percent according to some sources. Complaints are dealt with using the equivalent of a coin-toss, and only a small number are actually actioned by a real staff member who decides what responses is needed.

Many people have found their complaint against a troll disregarded despite the comments directed at them clearly violating so-called ‘Community Standards’. Indeed, many of us have even had our comments removed for responding to a troll with something as simple as “your comment is inappropriate and you should remove it”. Re-posting a removed comment then results in an official warning from Facebook, being blocked for 24 hours or more, and even threats of having your Facebook profile deleted.

Clearly, Facebook has a serious problem. Some of the Admin staff are, themselves, trolls. I’ve included a link in my next post to a blog from a former Facebook Administrator for you to consider. You can see where she has lost the plot and gone from defender to abuser. Yes, her job is a hard one. She encounters all manner of petty complaints on a daily basis, but at some point she decided that her opinion was worth more than that of others, and the ‘Community Standards’ don’t apply to her.

I have no doubt that someone will read what I’ve written here and throw it back in my face. I could care less. People that do that are usually trolls with serious personality problems. I’ve spent decades observing and dealing with child abusers and ‘people’ who inflict domestic violence and workplace harassment on their victims when nobody can see what they do, and I’ve found ‘personalities’ like those are even more emboldened by the anonymity of social media.

It is far too common for a predator to project their own failures on their victims, use disassociation to justify what they do, accuse their victims of lying, blame their victims, pretend to be something they are not, and impose all manner of hypocrisy in their responses to be called out. Anybody who makes an observation of those things can expect to be accused of the same because a troll is a coward with a limited intellect and far too much free reign. They will not stop until they are forced to stop.

But you cannot reason with an unreasonable person. The more you respond, the worse they get. They feed off the attention and sheer joy of causing others harm. Facebook may be one of the most inept social media Administered sites around, claiming only the most extreme violations are worthy of their attention, but they do offer one really great option: blocking.

Whenever you read something you don’t like, you can block that ‘person’. There is not point trying to make any effort to help them see the error of their ways because the vast majority are incapable of rational thought. Just block them. Let them rant in the darkness. Yes, they will catch on, eventually, and create a new profile page. Many of them already maintain two or three to see who has blocked them and make sure that person has not left a comment about them they cannot see, but all you can do is keep blocking them.

Sadly, you will discover just how many trolls are out there when you visit the page showing who you have blocked. My count is already into four digits. If you feel a comment made on a news feed is a real concern, then you should message the news service that posted the report by using the message option on that news service’s profile page.

A few months ago there was a predator posting comments on a news feed about what he wanted to do to three missing children. It was disturbing. Many people responded and the predator’s responses became more graphic and offensive. Facebook claimed its responses did not violate ‘Community Standards’. The news service, on the other hand, thanked me for alerting them, informed me that other folk had contacted them about it, and that they knew who it was and were taking appropriate action. They also deleted the posts.

But really, how is it that we live in a society where ignorance and bigotry are no obstacles to posting stupid comments" How is it vile, cowardly attacks inflicted on victims of crime, systemic failure, and hardship are not only considered acceptable, but are given such overwhelming support through ‘likes’ and inaction from the so-called defenders of ‘Community Standards’? Why is there no means by which to correct these failures?

Why do the authorities provide no clear means to make a complaint, and refuse to take any action or impose any real deterrents? Perhaps it has something to do with the conflict generating interest and increasing the value of a marketable commodity? Have we really devolved into a society that happily profits from inflicting misery? Well, obviously, the answer to that last one is yes, but do we really want our culture to continue down this dark path?

When we read a comment, or post one, we really need to engage our brain before our mouth. We need to ask ourselves some simple questions. If we don’t believe what someone has written, why? Just because we have never experienced what is being spoken about does not mean it never or did not happen. Our response will influence the emotions of the author, so what is appropriate? If you don’t believe what they have said, you don’t need to comment. What good will come of insulting, mocking, bullying or slandering the author?

What do hope to accomplish in our response? If somebody has made allegations of a crime like child abuse or domestic violence, do we really need to accuse them of being a liar, mock them, insult them, tell them to remain silent, or provide a defence for those they accuse? Where is your evidence that they are a liar? Were you there? How do we know you're not lying? Why are we so willing to give the accused the benefit of the doubt, and not the person claiming to be a victim? How does that help? Why are we so desperate to silence them? What is the motive of people calling others liars when they finally find the courage to come forward?

The Roman Catholic Church denied allegations of physical and sexual abuses committed by members of the clergy, and of vindictive, cowardly cover-ups that followed, for decades. How did that work out? How are we any different if we respond to ‘allegations’ made by others on social media sites? How are attitudes like those inflicted by John Laws and his ilk even remotely considered acceptable? Those who are silent may be said to condone, but those who force others to remain silent are complicit.

One thing is certain: until we demand accountability from our governments, public services, police, all the religious institutions, individuals, social media, and other businesses, we are a part of the problem. Until we have a means to enforce accountability and really deter anti-social and unacceptable behaviours, nothing will change. As long as we isolate and silence victims, we conceal and enable predators, crime, systemic failure and injustice.

The other posts in this blog are provided to encourage you to challenge how you think and respond to the world around you. When you read them, imagine yourself in the situation that the author of the post finds themselves, be it victim seeking to reveal something difficult, or idiot nutjob who thinks they are clever and righteous in their lack-witted response.

Ask yourself the questions I’ve suggested above. Consider them. Think outside the box. There are lots of them. One has a decaying radioactive isotope inside, along with a cat that may be both alive and dead at the same time. It belongs to a guy called Schrodinger who probably shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near cats. Now ask yourself why it’s acceptable to put others in boxes, what is being put in there with them, and why they are being put there.

While you’re at it, consider that imaginary line in the sand that most of us have in regards to how far we will go in response to particular situations. Now look in the mirror. Squint real hard. There’s a good chance it can be made out, way back there behind the car, way off in the distance. When did that happen? Social media is not healthy. There was a guy that once said “bad company corrupts good character”. He said that around two-thousand years ago, long before the internet. Wise words.

Note: This blog entry was originally published on the 19^th of September 2016 under a different blog post I’d been making but seemed more appropriate added to this one due to the nature of the points it raised about flawed socio-cultural attitudes.