French-side authorities partially blamed falsehoods and incorrect use of social media for violence in Sandy Ground last Tuesday night (see Thursday edition). Rumours fuelled by comments heard on circulating videos of the incident created the wrong impression that Gendarmes had driven into a scooter rider who evaded their targeted control of motorbikes and fled.
He actually crashed into another car – supposedly as the chase was being abandoned for safety reasons – and got hurt badly. The latter added to quickly rising tensions that ended up in rioting and looting.
Apart from the underlying social factors in this case, disinformation during crisis situations has become a major issue worldwide. People just love to speculate and fantasise, often without realising the possible consequences.
In today’s age of instant interactive communication and gratification, it is unwise to immediately believe all you see, hear and read. Certainly not everything distributed via social media is bogus, but telling the difference can be tricky.
Keep in mind that what persons may believe is a light-hearted casual remark or joke could be taken seriously by some. Ideally only what one knows to be true should be shared.
That’s not going to happen anytime soon, but folks who prefer facts continue to be well-served with more traditional media like this newspaper, including their online presence. They are referred to as “mainstream” for a reason.
Liking melee is one thing, but depending on such to be reliably informed quite another.
