Back to school, hot issues in social media this week
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A QUIZ has been spreading among Thai social media users this week. "I wish tomorrow was yesterday, so that today would have been Friday. What day is today?"
The question became talk of the town as it spread via Line, Twitter and Facebook, as well as many websites.
As someone put it as “From the entrance exam for Kinder students of Satit Chula [Chulalongkorn University’s Demonstration School],” many people such as @pnpvr_ on Twitter moaned they could not even answer this question for small children.
While some people pay attention to finding the answer, others were concerned that Thai people believe forwarded information too easily. The media have cross-checked with the school and found out the quiz was not from the school’s test.
@KwangPerryii wrote: Satit Chula has denied [having the question]. It was not really [in] the school’s test. I’m relieved. Otherwise, life is too hard nowadays.
@DARKkSHADOWw posted: The [Satit Chula] alumni and current students cannot tweet enough to make people realise the truth. Please listen again. There is no entrance exam for Satit Chula’s kinder. We accept only the children of Chula’s staff.
Thai mainstream media reported about the incident and presented their readers/ audience with at least two answers: Sunday and Wednesday, and how the so-called “Sunday Team” and “Wednesday Team” came to their conclusion.
@nunoknaja: Soon we will see the people who are trying to solve the [so-called] Satit Chula question quarrel. Each answer is so hilarious. Hahaha.
However, some social media users continue to create gags from the question.
Warat Karuchit wrote on Facebook: I wish today, just as every day, is the Pay Day that I get my salary. Salary is real.
Gave Sathonthorn on Thursday posted a picture of herself with her baby and wrote: “We are having big smiles, thought today was Friday.”
Satinee Wisutthatham wrote: “We cannot change yesterday to be today. But we can make today better than yesterday.”
Another “drama” happened on Twitter when @knhomphing found out her tweet posted may days ago was copied and tweeted by another user, a school student, without giving credit.
She cried out for responsibility, but it turned into a war between her supporters and the student’s. Finally, the school got a bad name on Twitter.
@SHx_POPPIN: People copy even in exams. Oh, can’t tweets be copied?
In other tweets, she insisted she did nothing wrong, and wrote: “Do you want me to apologise? It’s wrong only in your view. You’d better spend your time well doing other things.”
@Lookkae04126896: “Did you protect [your tweets]? Lots of people are doing this [posting copied content]. Are you sick?”
@noppasoneve: “If you don’t want anyone to copy or fear anyone will see your tweets, lock your account. Do not let anyone follow you and don’t follow others. It’s so easy.”
@knhomphing’s supporters tried to explain about copyright and intellectual property as well as the concept of plagiarism as a crime.
@JokeDeZ: “Girls, if you copy other people’s content shamelessly like this, you should not go to university. Copying in university level of education is a big crime, especially academic content. The penalty is so much.”
@StitchZaa: “I’m not serious with the issue of copying these 140 characters but the lack of conscience.”
@Krutop_narinnuku, a teacher from the students’ school tweeted on Friday: “My student, if you copied anything of others, please delete it and apologise. You might be too naive. My apologies on behalf of my students. Please let the issue end here.”
From the social media drama this week we learnt that it is never enough to emphasise to social media users to be considerate and responsible. Media literacy is necessary, anywhere, any time, especially in the online era.
