I was talking to somebody the other day who asked me why I was constantly condemning social media. He basically accused me of not liking social media since it was basically real time and I didn't publish a newspaper but once a week. In other words, I was getting left behind by social media.
We had a 'discussion'. I don't think I 'bash' social media, I 'bash' the people who take what they see on social media as the gospel without considering the source.
If I told you the world was flat, the sun revolves around Earth, we have a frozen Big Foot for on ice for verification, our government has live and dead aliens from other planets hidden in deep caves somewhere in the United States, we've found, and possibly been to, a planet just like Earth and actually we have a cure for cancer but we don't want to share it because it would cost the medical field billions of dollars if they didn't have cancer patients to treat, would you believe me? There are sites on the internet that say just that. There are sites on the internet that predict the exact day the world will come to an end; there are sites that claim Elvis is still alive and good and is waiting to launch a comeback tour; and there are sites that claim Donald Trump came from another planet.
If you believe all that I do want a ticket to Elvis' return tour after he's found alive and well.
I'm the first to say social media has its place in today's society. I still have those real concerns that people take the 'knowledge' they learn off of social media and think it's true.
Before the internet there was the National Inquirer. I remember reading a story years ago about a shark attack off the coast of Australia. I read the mainstream media stories about the attack then I read the story written by the National Inquirer. I'll have to admit that the story in the National Inquirer was a lot more entertaining despite the fact that it was made up with a lot of fiction.
I remember several years ago, I interviewed Brewton Attorney Ed Hines about all the stories that came out after USC's Sam 'Bam' Cunningham ran over Alabama at Legion Field. Some of the folklore stories that came out of that game included Coach Bear Bryant bringing Cunningham into the Alabama lockerroom after the game to tell his 'white' Crimson Tide that 'this is what a football player looked like'. The other story from that game was a quote by Bryant that Cunningham did more for integration in the state of Alabama for 60 minutes than Martin Luther King Jr., did in 30 years.
Hines was in the lockerroom and it didn't happen. But I remember him telling me some people had the motto of 'don't let the truth get in the way of a good story'. I'd rather take it from the horse's mouth – Hines was there and he didn't hear it.
Social media has its place. This past week, social media helped the Flomaton Police Department arrest a man who rode a stolen bicycle to the Texaco station only to swap his ride by stealing a vehicle. Hopefully, social media will help the Flomaton Police Department identify and arrest the person who burglarized Flomaton Small Engines and walked off with four brand new Stihl chainsaws.
There have been other crimes solved by social media. I remember a Facebook post of a guy that happened to show stolen goods in the background which led to his arrest.
Social media can be fun and it can also be helpful. But blindly following what you read on social media is very, very dangerous.
People can post anything on social media without any repercussions. The problem is people who gobble up that 'false' information may have repercussions by expressing that information later.
I understand sometimes it's hard to separate fact from fiction. I found that out after I got diagnosed with prostate cancer and tried to go to the internet for answers. Those 'answers' were all over the board.
Facebook and other social media sites have a great value, but they also have major pitfalls. I don't dislike social media, I just don't trust it.
