Social media allows us to communicate more easily than at any other time in history. But in this period of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, benign information sharing, and social networking, have taken on a much darker side. Social media has become home to maliciousness, abuse, and incitement. In this digital age, it is easier than ever to publish false information. What is deemed as truth might only be rumor or innuendo, but the internet has made it extremely easy for these “truths” to circulate with a speed and reach that is unimaginable. The consequences are enormous and frightening.
These “truths” can be spread out of panic, out of righteous indignation, out of malice, and out of deliberate manipulation, where people are paid to convey the message, no matter how erroneous or inflammatory it may be. Unfortunately, on social media, the misleading information is forwarded and shared, often without verification, because others are doing it. The assumption is that it must be true. After all, “I saw it on the internet.” This cycle keeps repeating itself, and the momentum becomes unstoppable.
During recent riots a picture was circulated of a puppy being abused. More than one million views later, the unsubstantiated story was compounded by adding that the dog had been stolen from a rescue and was dead, and the rescue feared retaliation. As thousands more became involved, increasing politically divisive comments occurred under most of the pages where the story was posted. Certain militants released the name and address of a person who they “believed” was responsible. That action prompted animal activists throughout the U.S. to threaten a wrongly accused man.
Thousands signed petitions demanding maximum justice. The mob’s “hang ‘em high” mentality was in full swing. The city’s Animal Service and Police department launched investigations and subsequently issued the following statement “…all we have seen are unsubstantiated claims on social media, generally from people outside of the area, none of whom can trace the information back to the source. No one has been able to present any concrete evidence to indicate the puppy is deceased. No one has made any reports… We have received no concrete information the puppy was stolen from a rescue …” What has not been brought to light or spread with the same rapidity is that the puppy is alive and healthy. Unfortunately, that news is not quite as sensational or inflammatory.
The overwhelming craven need for publicity, financial gain and, in some cases, social acceptance on the part of the user has changed social media’s original intent of easily and positively connecting to friends, family, and businesses. As a result, over recent years, the exponentially growing number of images posted on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube featuring animals abused, tortured, or killed is staggering. As of 2019, according to the Pew Research Center, seven-in-ten Americans use social media. So, it should come as no surprise that users share these graphic images as a way of exploiting the system to fulfill some intrinsic personal need.
The reasons for the posts are numerous. Some are meant to defraud, some are meant to incite outrage, and some provide entertainment for those audiences that do enjoy posts of animal cruelty. Finally, there are those that see the success (e.g. “clicks”) garnered by the posting and regurgitate it to achieve a falsely perceived notoriety. Despite media sites having rules against “violence” and “offensive” posts and images, their algorithms are curated to feed us more of what they think we want to see. A contradiction if there ever was one. Unfortunately, it means that the version of the world we encounter every day in our accounts becomes distorted, and not necessarily in a healthy way.
Being barraged with posts of animals that have been, are being or, as in the case of the puppy above, falsely represented as being abused only serves to desensitize the impressionable, thus gaining acceptance that these are acts of “normal behavior.” It isn’t normal, as Albert Schweitzer succinctly stated, “Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives.”
Many studies have confirmed a startling propensity for offenders charged with crimes against animals to commit violent offenses against humans, property crimes, and disorderly conduct offenses. In addition, child protection and social service agencies, mental health professionals, and educators increasingly recognize that animal abuse is aggressive and antisocial behavior, and a reliable predictor of future human violence. It is not beyond reason for us to then say that cruelty to animals can not only erode the fabric of society, but can also potentially jeopardize our own personal safety.
We are privileged to live in an era where technology abounds. But in this era of instant information and indefinite truths, societal issues have multiplied at an alarming rate. As we can see, social media can and does shape society, just as society shapes it. If we want a more humane culture where all life matters, then it is our obligation to take away the incentives for people to perpetuate acts of cruelty, whether real or fake, for social media impact. It is our obligation to hold social media sites accountable. It is our obligation to search for the truth in all things. And, it is our obligation to create the climate in which we wish to live.
Ronnie Casey has been volunteering with the Tehama County Animal Care Center since relocating in 2011. A retired R.N., she strives to help animals in need within Tehama county. She can be reached at rmcredbluff@gmail.com.
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June 13, 2020 at 12:53AM
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Social media spreads falsehoods like wildfire - Red Bluff Daily News
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