The creation of the internet has made one of the most significant impacts on society in history. While it facilitates many positives, it has also been the worst thing some people have ever been exposed to.
Previously I touched on social media but it’s time for more detail. I am very aware of the various platforms available, as weekly we have criminal complaints about how some people are using them. At the minor end of the spectrum, rumours are rampant on virtually every platform on the internet. Some people think they are being helpful to others, but in reality, they are merely spreading false or inaccurate information.
Policing is one area where false information can have drastic impacts. People have presented information online which affects the opinions and beliefs of others rather than presenting actual facts. Misinformation and disinformation conflict with policing and unfortunately, social media is the biggest contributor to it.
The best thing anyone using social media can do is question how much truth is in personal posts. We would likely need a full-time person perusing local social media and providing corrected information to posts about policing and law.
Credibility is key to disseminating truth and people need to be skeptical and wonder what is true and what is opinion. In an investigation, we backtrack information we receive to locate the original source to filter hearsay, exaggerations and biases. Remember the telephone game often played at summer camps? In a line of people, one person starts by whispering something to the person beside them. That person then whispers to the next and so on. At the end of the line, the last person says what they were told and it is almost always very different from what the originator said.
As information moves, people add their biases to it in addition to maybe forgetting parts of it and change the way it is described. This changes the meaning so be cognizant as you read posts, listen to podcasts, etc.
Also, know there are those deemed ‘trolls’ that intentionally spread false information and create false information to see how far it goes and what it morphs into. Anyone that starts off by saying ‘I heard’, ‘I read’, ‘I was told’, etc., does not have firsthand information. An example. There is a six-legged horse in Vermilion River County. Now you can go tell someone that you read that there is a six-legged horse in the county. Is this true? No. But you just read it.
Now, referencing our local media folks such as the Meridian Source, which are often referred to as mainstream media. They source their information. This gives them credibility and reliability as they fact-check and confirm their information. Most users of social media don’t.
My goal today is to have you pause when using social media and not take everything you get from it about policing to be the truth. Local media is correct that we just implemented body-worn cameras, contrary to what some online are saying.
- Staff Sgt. Jerry Nutbown, is the NCO in charge of the Lloydminster RCMP detachtment’s General Investigation Section. Stay tuned for future articles from the Lloydminster RCMP.
Read More: Column: Rule #1 Don’t feed the trolls! – Meridian Source