By Noosa Mp Sandy Bolton
Whilst the advent of social media has had enormous benefits of connecting, sharing, and informing, the events of the past two years have indicated the ‘dark side’ has grown even further.
So much so that its tentacles are entering every realm, affecting all that we love.
My Legal Affairs and Safety Committee’s current inquiry hearings into vilification and hate crimes heard a commonality in submissions and from witnesses. Social media has provided a platform for those who want to hurt, victimise, and brutalise fellow Australians in an unprecedented way, with images and posts that have been truly shocking. Media also has come under scrutiny, however, that is for another column!
We should not be shocked as we had been forewarned and I have written on this before. Not from any studies, officialdom, or reports, rather from our very own residents of all ages.
An initiative put forward recently by a year 6 student to entice children off social media highlighted the enormity of this issue. The harm it was doing to and between friends, and the volume of misinformation and bullying being broadcast, highlights how we are failing our children and grandchildren. We have already seen some of these impacts in our young, mentally and otherwise. Physical ailments from being hunched over phones and screens, fear, anxiety and a level of unhealthy competitiveness in achieving those ‘likes’, through to devastatingly suicidal thoughts and tendencies.
We are supposed to be their protectors, and yet here these youngsters are trying to fix our failings regardless of efforts including programs, initiatives and apps designed to get us offline and living our best lives.
This is not just relegated to our youngsters.
One only needs to take a stroll through community noticeboards to see the comments that range from brutal to bizarre that would never be verbalised or accepted in person. The era of the keyboard warrior has brought out the very worst in communicating, leading those that are already suffering to sink further into depression and fear, with respectful contributors abandoning these pages, leaving only what has been termed by many a ‘cesspit’.
As someone who has seen the enormous benefit of the connecting and sharing, I find it incredibly sad that ‘freedom of speech’ has accommodated ‘freedom to humiliate’.
What is the answer? The High Courts have now determined that companies, organisations and individuals opening a website or post to comments by others (third parties) may be liable for any defamation in the comment’s facility that the third parties then make.
This will mean one or two things for those of us that have Facebook pages. We either monitor 24/7, and delete harmful comments, or turn comments off as so many have been doing, including sporting organisations, in response to the misinformation and vitriol being promoted, including surrounding Covid and vaccinations.
Over the years I have requested and encouraged respectful conversations in all realms, often contacting privately those who have not realised that their comments may have been inappropriate. Now with the legal ramifications, findings within inquiries and requests from Noosans of all ages impacted by this negativity, it is time for real change. Yes, it is regretful that it has come to where we must hide or delete comments as part of this process, however, we all have a responsibility to ensure that nothing on our pages could be seen as perpetrating hurt or fear to another. Turning comments off altogether is not my preference, however, should we find that monitoring and deleting is insufficient, we may find with some posts the necessity to do so.
Gratitude to the many page moderators in our community who are already doing this in efforts to create greater freedoms and wellbeing. In addition, turn the tide in what has become one of the greatest contributors to a decrease in the very aspects of life that we treasure the most. That includes connecting with each other, sharing of credible information and those beautiful happy snaps and messages that have been a lifeline during these long hard Covid months of separation. Persecution, humiliation, and degradation are not what we as Australians, Queenslanders, or especially Noosans aspire to.
And for those that have contacted my office regarding my involvement in satanism as inferred in a recent FB post? This is yet another example of how social media is used for nefarious purposes!
Until next month, unfollow those pages or people who are perpetrating harm, rethink your own comments, and get out and about in our glorious spring sunshine and home, living our best lives.
