Two particular stories caught our attention this weekend. Two totally unrelated stories. Or were they? One relates to a 7 year-old boy ‘missing’ after the Barcelona terrorist attacks, and one relates to some pubs in the seaside town of Cromer. What on earth is going on?
In the first, very sad, case we hear that a British boy had been lost track of after the Barcelona attacks on Friday night. Various media reports, and police, started to claim that he was ‘missing’ and it sparked a social media campaign to try and find him.Nothing wrong here, except the boy was not missing.In fact, he was dead. Such was the frenzy that the local police were forced to tweet a statement:-
“Neither were we searching nor have we found any lost child in the Barcelona attack. All the victims and injured have been located.”
Roughly translated, this means that nobody at all is missing, everyone is either in hospital, perfectly unharmed, or dead. This again shows us the ease with which social media can take on a life of its own that bears no resemblance to reality. People see an appeal, share it, and share it again, and before you know where you are, nobody at all knows what is actually going on.
Part of the confusion might stem from the use of the word ‘missing.’ Some more careful news outlets sometimes use the word to mean that someone has not yet been formally identified. Until that happens, if their family don’t know where they are, they can be described as missing publicly. But privately, the police know what happened and don’t want to announce it. This seems to explain the confusion in this case, and social media loves nothing better than an information vacuum.
Over in Cromer, what did actually happen at the weekend? Not a lot, it turns out.Articles such as this one didn’t really help anyone, of course. Reports of a stabbing were untrue, but reports that all of the town’s pubs had closed early were apparently accurate. What on earth could have caused such Victorian penalties, people wondered. There must be some serious stuff going wrong. Gangs? Guns? A serial or spree killer? Terrorism? Anyone outside of Cromer must have expected the worst.
In fact, reading between the lines from several sources, it sounds like nothing much beyond the usual summer Saturday went on. A bit of low-level disorder, a bit of push and shove. Something that could have been dealt with, without such draconian measures being taken. Yet another case of political correctness and health and safety gone mad.
You always know when social media has amplified a trivial evening’s entertainment into an international disaster. Because usually the authorities use social media to damp down, or ramp up, the excitement. Here’s the local Member of Parliament talking on Twitter:-
“Very concerned by what I’ve read online tonight. Of course happy to support people in Cromer in any way I can.”
Well, that sounds like an official endorsement of the chaos. But what’s this? He is only referring to what he has read online. Most of which, we now know, was bollocks.
Over on Facebook, that other twin pillar of fact and truth, Cromer Pier made a statement. We assume it was some PR person who works on behalf of the pier:-
“On advice from the police the Theatre Bar is closed to the public this evening as are all the other public houses in Cromer.”
Nothing to see here. But then why close all the pubs? All of them? Total over-reaction, by other accounts. The final word came from the police:-
“We are aware licensees of local pubs have taken the decision to close this evening.”
So after all that, it was the pubs themselves that voluntarily chose to close early. Presumably, the weather being terrible, they realised there was no money to be made and knocked off early.
These two unrelated stories show just how much of a disservice our so-called social platforms can be in times of crisis, big and small. They spread rumour and gossip at an astonishing rate, and seem to struggle with the mundane facts of the matter. This is absolutely not fake news, because the stories are shared in good faith. But Twitter and Facebook amplify hatred, confusion, anger and disgust, and damp down the quiet truth. Beware the mainstream media if you will, but at least they have editorial standards. Twitter and Facebook are the wild west.
http://ift.tt/2wm4CsZ
No comments:
Post a Comment