Is social media evil? Far-right riots have erupted in England after Monday’s atrocious events. Some point the finger at social media for spreading rumours and inspiring violence.
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Fake news sparks riots after killings
Is social media evil? Far-right riots have erupted in England after Monday's atrocious events. Some point the finger at social media for spreading rumours and inspiring violence.
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On Tuesday evening, more than 1,000 people in Southport joined a vigil to honour the victims of Monday's horrific knife attack.
A few hours later, hundreds of rioters took to the streets. They set cars on fire, attacked a shop and threw bricks and burning matter at a mosque.
The police called it "a sustained and vicious attack", and 53 officers were injured during the unrest. More riots followed in London, Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot.
The rioters are believed to be supporters of IslamophobicDisliking Islam and Muslims. organisations.1 They had been fuelled by rumours that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.
This has no basis in fact. Initially the police revealed that their suspect was a 17-year-old boy born in Cardiff, then that his parents came from Rwanda: a largely Christian country. But this did not stop the thugs. He has since been named as Axel Rudakubana.
Frenzied mobs are a sad part of human history, from the Salem witch hunts2 to the McCarthyismA series of vindictive investigations, led by US Senator Joseph McCarthy against suspected communist sympathisers, including high-profile celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles. Many victims were blacklisted from working or even imprisoned. of the 1950s.
The modern world is no exception. Social media has allowed a wave of disinformationFalse information intended to mislead, including propaganda, which all too often encourages the spread of misinformation, fake news spread by mistake. It is contrasted with misinformation, which may be spread accidentally. to be spread to millions of people.
Soon after Monday's attacks, X was flooded with lies. Right-wing influences claimed the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker. Thousands of far-rightA range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents. users declared war on Islam in response.
Former UK security minister Stephen McPartland suggested Russian secret services might have planted the lies.3
Despite this, social media is not always bad. It connects friends. It can allow people to organise resistance against cruel regimes, as it did in the Arab SpringA series of mass protests across the Arab World against dictatorships that had stood for decades. In Tunisia, the protesters succeeded in creating a democratic government, but many other countries collapsed into civil war or experienced new dictatorships.. It can spread news of crises and allow people to send help to the victims.
And gossip existed long before social media. Rumours have provoked pogroms4 and witch hunts. Historian Bettany Hughes writes: "Rumour, gossip, slander - single drops of poison can pollute an entire system."
Is social media evil?
Yes: Social media allows cruel lies to be spread, buries the truth in a mound of misinformation and allows evil empires to disinform huge sections of the population. It is a blight on our society.
No: It is just the medium through which evil is spread. The real problems are prejudice, ignorance and the power of rumour. These have existed long before social media and will remain long after.
Or... Social media can spread great evils, and under Elon Musk's ownership X has become a cesspit of lies. But, if well regulated and filtered, it could prove an equally powerful tool for good.
FOR YOUR SUMMER READING CHALLENGE CLUE GO TO STEP SIX IN THE SIX STEPS TO DISCOVERY BELOW.
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Keywords
Islamophobic - Disliking Islam and Muslims.
McCarthyism - A series of vindictive investigations, led by US Senator Joseph McCarthy against suspected communist sympathisers, including high-profile celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles. Many victims were blacklisted from working or even imprisoned.
Disinformation - False information intended to mislead, including propaganda, which all too often encourages the spread of misinformation, fake news spread by mistake. It is contrasted with misinformation, which may be spread accidentally.
Far-right - A range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents.
Arab Spring - A series of mass protests across the Arab World against dictatorships that had stood for decades. In Tunisia, the protesters succeeded in creating a democratic government, but many other countries collapsed into civil war or experienced new dictatorships.
Fake news sparks riots after killings
Tragedy: The three girls above died after a knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport on Monday. Eight other children and two adults were also injured. Glossary
Islamophobic - Disliking Islam and Muslims.
McCarthyism - A series of vindictive investigations, led by US Senator Joseph McCarthy against suspected communist sympathisers, including high-profile celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles. Many victims were blacklisted from working or even imprisoned.
Disinformation - False information intended to mislead, including propaganda, which all too often encourages the spread of misinformation, fake news spread by mistake. It is contrasted with misinformation, which may be spread accidentally.
Far-right - A range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents.
Arab Spring - A series of mass protests across the Arab World against dictatorships that had stood for decades. In Tunisia, the protesters succeeded in creating a democratic government, but many other countries collapsed into civil war or experienced new dictatorships.