Blind faith in social media carries considerable risk
Last year I had the honour of listening to a keynote address delivered by Dr. Roy Suddaby, a professor in the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria.
Dr. Suddaby is a fascinating individual with strong Alberta ties. He holds a Bachelor’s degree, law degree and PhD from the University of Alberta as well as a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia. He practised commercial law for several years but ultimately left the field and pursued academia.
I share this because the man is clearly rooted in the logic and hard and fast rules of business and legal frameworks, yet his keynote was more of a philosophical journey of where we are as a society. He spoke of our evolution of the belief that science could essentially fix anything to where we have moved in recent times with a rise in populism, an increase in religious fundamentalism, a return of spiritualism, a rejection of science and the return of trades and crafts. He provided several outstanding examples to validate all of these.
However, something he said stuck out more than anything else and over the past two years I have witnessed several incidents that confirm it. I am paraphrasing and will undoubtedly not be as eloquent as Dr. Suddaby, but he made the comment that “crowds” today on social media are really an echo chamber that reinforce prejudice and assumption. They are very, what he referred to as, “tribal” and not a true reflection of the reality or the masses.
The take away for me was that we as a society must be extremely cautious to not let the crowds on social media drive decisions and must safeguard to ensure the crowds on social media do not begin to drive public policy and the decisions made by local, provincial or federal politicians. If that happens one can see how social media can be manipulated to undermine democracy, freedoms, laws and social norms.
The other reason this resonated with me is in recent years I have been on police training where there are lessons dedicated to the good and bad dynamics of social media. An example of the good is the exposure a crime can receive when a police agency utilizes social media to engage the public for information. It creates an awesome tool for the public to contribute from anywhere in the world and there are numerous examples of how citizens contribute to solving crimes through the use of social media.
However, there is a negative side and I have been on training in which the police are taught to be cognizant of the tactic of individuals or groups setting up multiple user accounts on social media to create the illusion of a movement in an effort drive public opinion, public policy or political interference. This is particularly dangerous when an issue is sensitive in a community and takes on undertones that are political, moral, religious, or racial to name a few.
In the U.S. our colleagues in law enforcement have experienced this when it was used to drive antipolice sentiments before facts are known and released to the public. Twenty people can easily create an illusion of a movement in an effort to force a knee-jerk reaction. Add to this the ever present threat of hackers looking to infiltrate government systems and there is an amplified need for police to stay focused on facts and evidence.
Police training is to follow the evidence. The evidence guides investigations and decisions. A post on social media is NOT evidence by itself and if it gets shared, retweeted or numerous people comment on the post, it adds no more veracity or credibility as evidence by itself. We deal in the facts and evidence business and the number of shares cannot and will not change that. To do so undermines the justice system and a person’s right to an objective process.
We are fortunate to live in a country that has a Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms that allows people to legitimately engage in the ✦democratic process and have freedom of speech. We are fortunate to have a rule of law that relies on facts and evidence — not hearsay and speculation. In order to ensure these fundamentals of our society remain intact, it is incumbent on every citizen to not blindly accept social media by itself as the truth.
When you see something on social media, do your own research, find facts, ask questions before forming an opinion on issues. Share your own firsthand experiences based on your events, not adopting a story as yours, or perpetuating rumours, myths and unsubstantiated stories. If we can all operate in the domain of facts and reality the long-term outcomes and decisions will be more beneficial for all citizens.