Given his humanitarian and philanthropic work, one doubts that when Mark Zuckerberg sat down with his college mates and developed the social networking site Facebook that he, or any of them for that matter, would have foreseen that it would be used for base and ad hominem attacks, bullying and the perpetuation of stigma and discrimination against certain groups. Yet, it happens almost every day. The same can be said about Jack Dorsey and Twitter, and perhaps every so-called social media site where blogging and commentary are allowed without being vetted.
What is unfortunate, is that unlike the days of yore when poison pen letters could be torn up and discarded, the venom posted on the World Wide Web remains in cyberspace perhaps forever, even after it has been deleted. There is no cyber graveyard where vicious, often unwarranted and unwanted words could be buried. They float around to pop up unexpectedly on search engines, often when related words are innocently searched.
Sadly too, what is known as the internet is barely legislated, if at all. Freedom of expression as catered for in many countries around the world takes no cognizance of the internet. And in fact, changes in the way we communicate have been so rapid over the past few years that they would likely surpass whatever is legislated.
At the end of the day, much is left to choice and much depends on our humanity or lack of it. What is our responsibility if we obtain physical evidence (video or audio) of an incident that could hurt or embarrass another human being, but which offers no benefit to us or the rest of humanity? Do we share it to gain fans, likes and laughs? The fact is that many people would, even those who would baulk at having their rights similarly trampled on.
There are two recent cases that stand out. One involved a video of two young men exiting a toilet stall at a public place. It was posted on Facebook, viewed by thousands of people and shared umpteen times. Persons who recognized the young men contributed their names and the education institutions they attended and they were subjected to name-calling and all manner of ridicule. There were several voices of reason, who blasted the recording and publicizing of the video and those engaged in the shaming. But the evil deed had been done.
The second incident involves an ongoing video and photo diary of a mentally-ill woman, which could have been a great tool for bringing attention to mental health issues, but it is being tastelessly done for laughs and therefore is exploitative. From the woman’s condition it is clear that she could not have agreed to the exercise and even if she has, her obvious lack of mental acuity would render such consent void. Nevertheless, the photos and videos continue to be posted and shared. There is no sign that her illness is being addressed.
There are countless others, but these are just two of the more blatant issues that plague us.
On Saturday, as Guyana joins the rest of the world in observing Human Rights Day, it would do us all well to remember Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”
This year, the theme for Human Rights Day is ‘Stand up for someone’s rights today’. With intolerance and hatred for diversity fuelling the growing disrespect for human rights, this year’s theme is particularly relevant. It is also not easy to do since people dislike being challenged on improper conduct and would just as soon attack the messenger as listen to the message. Social media, especially Facebook is awash with an endless number of such attacks.
Nonetheless, it is important not to let fear dissuade us. Bullies and extremists thrive on using fear to force those of us who would stand up to stand down. Those of us who can must continue to stand up to governments and individuals to protect the rights of the powerless.