Opinion: Why it is 'crucial' that we are critical of the content we see online
Earlier this week, a post was shared which included a photo of a man accused of “attempting” to snatch children in Mansfield Four Seasons Shopping Centre – only for police to confirm it was a “misunderstanding” as the viral post was then deleted.
Social media is a great tool. It allows us to stay in touch with friends, make new friends, document our lives, and create content for growing audiences.
However, with the sweet comes the sour.
That is exactly what happened earlier this week when a viral post was shared – identifying a man in a photo – stating he had “attempted to snatch a child” in the middle of town.
The man was not white and was described as "speaking a different language", which was evidently all that was needed for people to bring race into the equation.
The comments were full of social media users tagging friends, sharing the content and using the opportunity to unleash harmful racist rhetoric.
I felt for non-white members of the community, seeing how quickly the narrative shifted from legitimate concerns of human trafficking to unapologetic displays of xenophobia.
Suddenly, one post accusing a man of stealing children had become a witch-hunt for all migrants in the area, based on one allegation.
I could not believe what I was seeing when I saw hundreds of comments on the back of just one post, as Facebook judges and juries came out in full force.
That being said, I was pleased to see many comments calling out the post and echoing my thoughts on the dangers of “trials by social media”.
I was still completely horrified to see how quickly the post had escalated, as thousands of people were sharing – adding fuel to the fire – and labelling a complete stranger based on a photo shared without consent.
In response to the incident, Nottinghamshire Police’s Mansfield policing team confirmed after “thoroughly investigating these reports” they could assure residents it was a “misunderstanding” with no further action required.
This example just goes to show how we must do better as a community, especially where misinformation and xenophobia is concerned.
Coming from somebody working in the media, it is crucial we are sceptical of unattributed content we see online and ensure reliable sources are consulted before assuming guilt or fact.