Social media better than security cameras

Just when we thought our social conscience was in a hopeless skid, with selfishness and casual law-breaking out of control, there has emerged a glint of hope. The collective force of the social media has shown that the voice of civil society can separate right from wrong. 

Police will never nail all the rogue drivers, no matter how many checkpoints and surveillance cameras they deploy. But in a recent case, they successfully prosecuted a man who was charged and then handed a one-month jail term after his reckless driving was exposed online. The video went viral thanks to his outrageous behaviour, flouting the law of the road and harassing fellow motorists. In days he was a common enemy of the people. 

In another case, a man resisted attempts by AirAsia cabin crew to throw him off the plane. He recorded a video of the heated argument and uploaded it to the Net, but it backfired. Netizens in their thousands watched him throw a tantrum after cabin staff politely reminded him about the rules for carry-on luggage.

Instead of condemning the airline, the public reacted as one in ruling the man’s behaviour unacceptable. He caused a scene after breaking airline rules and the flight was delayed as a result. Judged guilty in the court of social-media opinion, he rushed to the airline’s office to offer an apology.

The two incidents illustrate that social-media users are more than just shallow individuals obsessed with snapping selfies and plates of restaurant food. They also share an interest in the common good and in upholding standards of behaviour. 

The selfish and irresponsible shouldn’t take them lightly: the growth of an online social conscience is a powerful thing in this digital age.

But it can only happen if enough Netizens understand the importance of rights and responsibilities. And that extends to respecting the rights of others. The Internet is a powerful tool for people who wish to assert their rights, as seen in the popular verdict against the plane passenger whose actions would deny others their allocation of baggage space. But it is important that everyone understands that their rights are no greater than those of the next person and that the enjoyment of those rights also comes with responsibilities. Only when we agree on that simple and natural rule for living together peacefully can we hope for a better society.

Of course, the social media are also used to suppress the rights of others. Some users spread malicious information or propaganda to victimise individuals or groups in an attempt to eliminate their voice in society. But the Internet is also a democratic space of many voices that cannot be dominated by a single group, and thus an ideal place for civil society to grow.

At the end of the day, the social media is merely the medium, a very powerful one, but nothing without the civil society that is taking root in its soil.