Thai social-media users need to grow up in 2016

We didn't know how creative Thai people were in telling and creating jokes until the social media came along. Neither did we realise the tenacity and scale of hyperactivity of the political animals in all of us until Facebook was found to be a perfect channel to let off steam. And we all have all the online tools to thank for rejuvenated friendships, activated volunteering spirit and quick mobilisations of help when someone urgently needs it.

To say that Thais took to the social media like ducks to water suggests we are on the right track and that there is little room for improvement. In fact, our social-media use has been quite flawed and there is so much more that we can and should do to make it more worthwhile. Thai users are another year older, and while selfies and vacation pictures will remain something irresistible, 2016 must be hoping to see a degree of maturity from us. And here’s what we can do, apart from clicking “like” with wild abandon and posting photos of ice cream seven days a week.

First, it's time to take a big step up ethically. We have all learned that what was meant for the eyes of just a few friends can end up going viral. It’s all right if a silly baby clip does, but when someone’s reputation, privacy and mental state are involved, prudence must be exercised. Last year saw a large-scale intrusion of privacy by both mainstream and social media when a well-known actor fell seriously ill. The “ethics” issue sounds difficult, but there is one easy trick: Before posting, sharing or forwarding anything that concerns somebody else, we should ask ourselves if we would still post, share or forward it if that person were our loved one.

Second, social-media users can greatly supplement the conventional media. This, however, shall not violate the ethical principles. There are issues in the mainstream media that can be picked up and pursued. Remember that professional journalists are not scientists or doctors. Information from people who really know technical aspects of an issue is extremely helpful. Knowledge provided by social-media users can go a long way towards improving conventional journalism as a whole.

Third, knowledge-sharing can be intensified, and in the right way. There have been cascades of how-to and you-surely-don’t-know-this messages circulating online each day. The only problem is that sometimes the information is inaccurate or even cooked up. It will do users no harm at all if they hold onto some “valuable information” just a bit longer and do their own research before passing it on.

Last but not least, social-media users will become an integral part of a new economic platform – online businesses – so they must play a responsible role in the development of this landscape, which could drastically change how the world conducts trade. Next year will see a big growth in online transactions, and despite all the promises, the road might be quite bumpy. Successful online businesses can democratise activities that have long been dominated by rich and powerful corporations. 

Online business is already a big trend, but for it to become a useful status quo, it will need all the help it can get from the social networks.

Thai social-media users might still be comparative rookies, but 2016 will demand greater responsibility, originality and understanding of the brave new world. 

There have been flaws, but they are a part of growing up, and all the evidence shows that, when it comes to Thais and social media, true maturity is achievable.