Saturday, June 10, 2017

Would you believe 'Anonymous'?

So I bump into a young man I know from Zac's. I haven't seen him for a while and he looks much better than he did last time - I guess he is taking his medication properly. He introduces me to his fiancee, a bespectacled respectable-looking young woman whose father is a vicar.

I am thinking she seems to be good for him as he is much calmer and happier. Then they start talking. And I realise it is all an illusion.

They talk about isis and hackers and 'Anonymous' on the internet and their belief in conspiracy and failure of the state is enough to enable them to stare at me blankly when I suggest that not everything on the internet is true and should be checked several times over. (Especially I would say if it comes from anyone calling themselves 'Anonymous'.)

The power of the internet can work for good or bad: smears against Jeremy Corbyn looked as if they could prove to be the most influential factor but the calls on social media for young people to register and vote were also highly effective.

Certainly in the latter days of the campaign I was disbelieving of most of what was coming out but sadly many people will believe anything. (Incidentally I am probably the most gullible person I know but I am learning.)

5 comments:

Sharon said...

I have learned that I need to count on what I understand politicians say on film rather than what others say they say. I form all opinions that way now. If they look like a fool, well, my opinion is that. :)

Liz Hinds said...

Very wise, SJ. (And many of them do!)

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

We're flooded with information , true and false , day and night .
And , unfortunately , we're too nosy to ignore it all .

nick said...

I'm astonished at how many Facebook links are not checked properly. They turn out to be made up, or five years old, or planted by some dubious organisation. People are amazingly gullible and ready to believe anything that supports their own views.

Liz Hinds said...

So much information, you're right, sonata. And what is really scary is the way that political parties and large corporations are using it to feed us what they want us to believe.

And some of the things actually have the date on them just below a headline or photo, for example, nick, so it's easy to see it's from years ago but it still gets trundled out by people.