This warning also applies to other social media sites.
Researchers at the University of Life, which is based in Common Sense Land, and adjacent to the School of the Bleeding Obvious, have discovered the means to defeat the so called social media bullies. These are the people that say nasty things and sometimes even criminally culpable nasty things about individuals or groups on social media sites like Twitter and AskFM.
Apparently, the way to avoid being bullied on a particular site is to not visit that site. I know, sounds easy, right? What you do is, you switch your computer or your mobile phone on and then instead of opening-up Twitter or AskFM or whatever, you don't. The researchers, who are surely in receipt of taxpayer funding, have offered this solution to one of the 21st century's biggest problems, free of charge.
I know this is 'one of the 21st century's biggest problems' because it has attracted the attention of the UK Government. David Cameron, the puppet controlled by Nick Clegg, has been mouthing-off all sorts of ill-informed and technically illiterate talk about the need to 'control' these web-sites.
Yes this is the same government that continues to preside over an economically incontinent administration and continues to borrow, borrow, borrow because 'hey at least we are borrowing less than Labour would'.
The same government that wants to control the printed press and internet access. All this doesn't distract them though from spending, spending, spending - 'hey, but it is spending less than Labour would' .
The same government that is pushing ever more people into energy poverty in pursuit of an environmentalist pipe-dream. The same government that, instead of embracing the bounty that is represented by shale gas deposits, drags its feet in approving licensing while pensioners die of hypothermia or malnutrition - got to make a choice Doris - heat or eat? Britain used to lead the world in so many things, now our 'lead' is down a path towards economic annihilation. Look behind you as we head down this path. Look at Germany, yes they have lots of inefficient wind turbines, same as GB, yes they have abandoned nuclear power, pretty much the path that GB is heading, but what is their solution? More wind power? Higher energy taxes? Actually, no. They are burning more coal - yes that dirty stuff, the stuff that used to be burned in the power stations that are so rapidly being closed down, in the UK.
The same government that ring-fences spending in the NHS - 'hey, but we are spending less than Labour would' - while at the same time receiving report after report which detail the extremely poor level of service and care that NHS patients receive. Reports that show that people are dying unnecessarily and often in the most degrading circumstances, all in a provider-controlled system that is the 'envy of the world'.
I've strayed but I think you get my point. The bullying that has been reported is hateful. I can't help but think that some of this though, is no more than used to be verbalised before the advent of the internet and social media. I am sure that a group of anthropological researchers would posit that bullying is a natural human phenomenon which Man has used throughout all time to sort out who leads the pack, etc.. There is though, no record of any of these so called trolls holding a gun to anyone's head and saying 'go online.'
Some of this bullying has taken the form of what can only be described as criminal threats and incitement. There are already laws to deal with this. Just use them! Why go after Twitter or AskFM? If someone gets drunk and calls you an 'ugly or fat so and so' or worse, do you think of calling for the banning of alcohol? (OK that question isn't for the Lib Dems because we know what their answer would be.) Or, do you just cross the road and walk on?
Maybe pause for a moment and consider that the more that government seeks to control everything, the more that this causes these people to ratchet up their level of abuse?
Hopefully, you have read this far and since you have not been called any unpleasant names, even you Lib Dems, nor have you been subjected to any hate-filled speech or threats of rape or killing, you will see that the internet and social media and blogs isn't all about negativity (okay so I am more than a bit negative about government spending but indulge me). These mediums offer the opportunity for social interaction far beyond what our ancestors could have dreamed of. Far beyond what governments would like us to have. Don't kowtow to censorship. Accept that even with its flaws, this medium is far better than the alternative.
Still not convinced? Ask yourself this then. When did you last believe anything that came out of the mouth of any government minister or politician in any country in the world? And if you did believe, did you immediately wonder 'what's in it for him or her'?
Researchers at the University of Life, which is based in Common Sense Land, and adjacent to the School of the Bleeding Obvious, have discovered the means to defeat the so called social media bullies. These are the people that say nasty things and sometimes even criminally culpable nasty things about individuals or groups on social media sites like Twitter and AskFM.
Apparently, the way to avoid being bullied on a particular site is to not visit that site. I know, sounds easy, right? What you do is, you switch your computer or your mobile phone on and then instead of opening-up Twitter or AskFM or whatever, you don't. The researchers, who are surely in receipt of taxpayer funding, have offered this solution to one of the 21st century's biggest problems, free of charge.
I know this is 'one of the 21st century's biggest problems' because it has attracted the attention of the UK Government. David Cameron, the puppet controlled by Nick Clegg, has been mouthing-off all sorts of ill-informed and technically illiterate talk about the need to 'control' these web-sites.
Yes this is the same government that continues to preside over an economically incontinent administration and continues to borrow, borrow, borrow because 'hey at least we are borrowing less than Labour would'.
The same government that wants to control the printed press and internet access. All this doesn't distract them though from spending, spending, spending - 'hey, but it is spending less than Labour would' .
The same government that is pushing ever more people into energy poverty in pursuit of an environmentalist pipe-dream. The same government that, instead of embracing the bounty that is represented by shale gas deposits, drags its feet in approving licensing while pensioners die of hypothermia or malnutrition - got to make a choice Doris - heat or eat? Britain used to lead the world in so many things, now our 'lead' is down a path towards economic annihilation. Look behind you as we head down this path. Look at Germany, yes they have lots of inefficient wind turbines, same as GB, yes they have abandoned nuclear power, pretty much the path that GB is heading, but what is their solution? More wind power? Higher energy taxes? Actually, no. They are burning more coal - yes that dirty stuff, the stuff that used to be burned in the power stations that are so rapidly being closed down, in the UK.
The same government that ring-fences spending in the NHS - 'hey, but we are spending less than Labour would' - while at the same time receiving report after report which detail the extremely poor level of service and care that NHS patients receive. Reports that show that people are dying unnecessarily and often in the most degrading circumstances, all in a provider-controlled system that is the 'envy of the world'.
I've strayed but I think you get my point. The bullying that has been reported is hateful. I can't help but think that some of this though, is no more than used to be verbalised before the advent of the internet and social media. I am sure that a group of anthropological researchers would posit that bullying is a natural human phenomenon which Man has used throughout all time to sort out who leads the pack, etc.. There is though, no record of any of these so called trolls holding a gun to anyone's head and saying 'go online.'
Some of this bullying has taken the form of what can only be described as criminal threats and incitement. There are already laws to deal with this. Just use them! Why go after Twitter or AskFM? If someone gets drunk and calls you an 'ugly or fat so and so' or worse, do you think of calling for the banning of alcohol? (OK that question isn't for the Lib Dems because we know what their answer would be.) Or, do you just cross the road and walk on?
Maybe pause for a moment and consider that the more that government seeks to control everything, the more that this causes these people to ratchet up their level of abuse?
Hopefully, you have read this far and since you have not been called any unpleasant names, even you Lib Dems, nor have you been subjected to any hate-filled speech or threats of rape or killing, you will see that the internet and social media and blogs isn't all about negativity (okay so I am more than a bit negative about government spending but indulge me). These mediums offer the opportunity for social interaction far beyond what our ancestors could have dreamed of. Far beyond what governments would like us to have. Don't kowtow to censorship. Accept that even with its flaws, this medium is far better than the alternative.
Still not convinced? Ask yourself this then. When did you last believe anything that came out of the mouth of any government minister or politician in any country in the world? And if you did believe, did you immediately wonder 'what's in it for him or her'?
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