In a society that’s hooked on instant gratification it’s far easier to push a button than get on a picket line, writes CHRIS GEN.
Scandals lure a crowd. The fewer items of clothing Justin Bieber is wearing, the more attention he gets on social media. It’s because of this that nugatory, mouth-eaten tales involving celebrity heart-throbs take precedent over more pressing ‘difficult’ issues like human rights or equal marriage.
On the odd occasion that more pressing issues manage to tiptoe into the spotlight, they’re distorted into trends – thousands of people jump onto the moral bandwagon, not because of any desire for social progression but simply because its ‘trending’. For those who are actively involved, it often feels so hollow and more of a fad rather than love for a cause.
“Oh Chris, ” I hear you murmur. “Chris, surely if people are taking a interest in a cause, regardless of the reason, it’s a step in the right direction?” To an extent, yes. But how about the bombardment of ’Share if you hate cancer; ignore if you want your parents to die’ posts/pictures that are currently littering Facebook? Or that Rothko-style red picture that’s supposed to signal support for equal marriage when you use it as your profile picture – how’s it supposed to ‘raise awareness’ when nobody knows what it means?
I don’t doubt for a minute a lot of people’s hearts are in the right places, but because news/information rockets from country-to-country in the blink of an eye, it becomes near impossible to pull the breaks on the false information that’s lost amongst it.
In the words of Granny Gen, “a lie can travel around the world twice before the truth has even tied its shoe laces.” The lies get fibre optic broadband, while the truth limps around the globe on dial-up.
Essentially my points are these:
1. Not everything you read on the Internet is true. Show some sense and identify whether it’s a lie or a truth before you share it.
2. Make sure you believe in something before you leap on board with the rest of Twitter. Just because the Sierra filter he used on his twitter icon makes those baby blues sparkle like diamonds, it doesn’t mean what he tweets is gospel.
