Not only do Australians live down under they are also about to do things the wrong way around.
To whit, their plans for “world-leading” – their quotes not mine – legislation to ban children under 16 from social media.
The aim is laudable, of course. To protect innocents from the cesspit and monsters that lurk therein which makes up too much of the digital world these days.
But the Aussies are banning the wrong people. It’s not the youngsters that should be forbidden from a resource that gives them the world. It’s the trolls, nutters, criminals and predators who should be chased out.
Too many of these vile characters think they can act with impunity. And it’s not just the criminals and creeps, either. It’s the keyboard warriors sitting on their couch in their underpants, spewing nonsense and vitriol at anything and everything they don’t like.
The case for the prosecution presents the army of Abermoaners who belittle everyone or any proposal that is doing some good in the Granite City. Vision and positivity run counter to their narrative the city is a spithole (curse my clumsy fingers) that’s not fit for man nor beast.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even a wrong one
Everyone is entitled to an opinion – even a wrong one. But what sticks in my craw is the outright lies and falsehoods often cooked up by this band of brigands to push their pet narrative about that which they hate. And they hate a lot.
It can be hard to resist clapping back when you see untruths and fabricated “facts” about things you care for.
But I always circle back to never feeding the trolls, they have no agency, so why make them believe they do? Why let them think they matter any more than the grubby fingerprints you need to wipe off your phone screen from time to time?
However, their presence does contribute to a malaise in society where lies, malice, division and degradation can carry as much weight as truth, compassion, unity and hope. It’s exhausting.
The digital world needs cleaning
The digital world needs cleaning and the people who turn it into a cesspit need turfing.
We have seen some moves in that direction. There are people banged up in jail because they thought they were free to spread hate and incite violence during the riots in England earlier this year.
And just this week a callous conspiracy theorist has been ordered to pay £45,000 in damages to survivors of the Manchester Arena for claiming online the attack was a hoax.
My fervent wish is for someone in the corridors of power to come up with the means of purging social media of the lies and the liars – large and small. That somehow, they are made to face the consequences of their actions, be it responsible platform providers who quickly ban the proven liars or courts who act swiftly when hate and prejudice rear their ugly heads.
Then, finally, the digital universe can live up to its promise for all of us, whether we are six, 16 or 60 – a place where we can have the world, its wisdom and its wonders at our fingertips.
Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired.
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