Unsocial Media

Is anyone else sick of social media?

It’s supposed to be a place where we share news and ideas, where communities of like-minded souls are allowed to thrive and grow. Where thoughts and opinions are exchanged freely, and people living in the most isolated places or under repressive regimes are given a voice.  At its best, it’s the world we should have – open, honest, engaging and supportive.

But at its worst, it’s a toxic, small-minded gossip factory spewing bile and hate. Where fake news is born and reasoned debate goes to die. Where every bigot and moron can spout their ridiculous views and call it ‘free-speech’ - until of course someone says something they don’t like and then that user is immediately pegged as racist, sexist, or xenophobic, and hounded until they delete their account or lose their job.

And underpinning it all is a particular type of cringing cowardice. Hurtful things are said on twitter that would never be said to the recipient’s face.  It’s the digital equivalent of Monty Python’s insane French soldier yelling ‘your mother is a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries’ at complete strangers from the safety of the castle walls.

Most right-minded people would never, for example, walk up to someone they’d never met and say “Your legs are disgusting, they’re like tree trunks!”

But that is exactly what’s being tweeted about a certain contestant on Love Island. Now, while we are all entitled to question the value of this reality show – and indeed laugh at the juvenile antics of semi-naked young folk who honestly believe they’ll find ‘love’ under the glare of several million viewers (not to mention the chance of winning £50,000 prize money), what we are NOT entitled to do is troll them for their looks.

Body-shaming is not okay. Not even for people who’ve knowingly put themselves into the public eye for entertainment. Not  when we live in an age where social media is known to impact on young people’s mental health.

And it’s not just strangers passing comment on strangers. When the leader of the free world tweets slurs about his political rivals (Crooked Hillary Clinton; Crazy Nancy Pelosi; Lyin’ Ted Cruz) it legitimises social media as a way of trading insults.

Social media is an amazing, ground-breaking tool in the way we communicate and spread information. It plays a powerful role in all our lives.

Please, let’s not use it as a weapon.