I was listening to a podcast from the TWIT.tv network [https://twit.tv/] and started to think about a conversation between host Leo Laporte and tech commentator Jeff Jarvis. They were discussing the ugly state of social media and how the present trend seems to have corrupted the original idealism of shining light on issues for the good of all. Leo said that he had become disgusted and given up closing his Facebook and Instagram accounts. Jarvis argued that “good guys” leaving would not solve the problem because many innocents would stay on and be influenced by the perpetrators of hate and fear.
Jarvis came up with an expression he said came from the corruption of UseNet [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet]. As I remember his statement, it was something like “when all of the flowers are driven from the garden, all that will remain are the weeds”.
I am not at the point of abandoning my social media presence, but I am very concerned by what I read. I am connecting with a wide assortment of folks – tech influences, family members, college profs from my working days, people I have not seen since high school, but who have connected to me for one reason or another, a few politicians, etc. Out of this mix I experience the good and the bad (very bad). Sometimes when I encounter a meme I find particularly disturbing (often shared), I search back to see what else the original author posts. There is some real trash out there.
I am not certain what it is. Perhaps it is my past life as an academic and researcher in which I assume I should engage to argue a point to convince someone else of their misguided impressions. Perhaps it is simply outrage when I encounter someone perpetuating racism, misogyny, or outright lies. Depending on my mood, I have this urge to reply. Once you go down this rat hole, there is no end. Still, what about those flowers someone must defend?
Recent events (the attacks on Ilhan Omar) have finally forced me to some kind of decision. This is it. I must ignore the comments that I find offensive as much as I can. There is a free speech issue and taking on every person wanting to spew hatred is beyond my endurance. If you disagree and have the stamina, I encourage your full attention to this task. Good folks have free speech rights too.
What I have decided I won’t tolerate are statements that are demonstrably false. There is a claim I agree with usually attributed to Patrick Moynihan – everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts (I think this is close). I intend to respond when I encounter something I can cross-check to determine as false.
What to say? The issue with truly evil people is that they don’t really care. The real problem is the interconnection among people that social media encourages and the disinformation amplification that occurs. False statements spin about within a network and are repeated over and over. So many people doubt that Russian disinformation and their bots could actually influence an election. How many false statements could they produce? The issue is not necessarily the original false messages, but the sending of such messages to individuals prone to believe them and to pass them on to others with a similar view of the world.
So, what do you say? I want a statement I can cut and paste when I encounter the type of statement I feel I have a right to address. Here is my first effort.
If you are willing to promote memes without fact-checking, it would make sense to include in your circle of online friends some who do make the effort. In this case, I will play this role. The statement you have posted is known to be factually incorrect. You could end up spinning in a circle of lies you and others come to accept.
This could work for both Twitter and Facebook, but I decided maybe perceived as elitist. People wanting to believe something take any opportunity to discount a challenge to their actions.
How about something that is simpler?
The statement you have just circulated has been shown to be false by reputable fact-checkers. I thought you would want to know.
Reputable fact-checkers. I like Politifact [https://www.politifact.com/] and Snopes [https://www.snopes.com/]. Both services offer a judgment and explain what exactly about the claim is incorrect. I want to be sure of my facts.
Save the flowers
P.S. I am not certain I have the energy to apply my strategy to Donald Trump. His falsehood rate is too high. Here is the Snopes analysis of his comment about the popularity of Omar and Ocasio-Cortes [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ilhan-omar-and-aoc-polling/}.