Social media: taking relational responsibility

By guest contributor Jeremy Swan

Quote

‘Social media is about sociology and psychology more than technology.’ Brian Solis (US author, speaker and analyst)

News

The problem of internet ‘trolling’ (sending abusive messages online) reared its head again this week as it emerged that feminist Caroline Criado-Perez received hundreds of threatening messages on Twitter after successfully campaigning for Jane Austen to appear on the new £10 note. Threats of rape and violence were also sent to female journalists and politicians connected with the campaign.

The strength of public feeling and support for the victims has been encouraging. Over 120,000 people have signed a petition calling on Twitter to add a ‘Report Abuse’ button to tweets, which they hope will alleviate the problem. This demonstrates that most people recognise that a line has been crossed and are motivated to do something about it.

Social media itself is not the problem, but it does present some issues. While the technology allows us to increase the number of social encounters in which we participate, it also makes it easier for some to hide behind a persona or veil of anonymity. For some, this ‘relational distance’ encourages the belief that they (like the ancestor of Gyges in Plato’s Republic) can act almost with impunity.

The technology can also have the effect of reducing our relational awareness, which prevents normal social signals from being taken on board. In face-to-face dialogue participants have access to a wide variety of information about how they are being received – tone of voice, body language, social tension, and so on – and there is also a ‘shame factor’ that can prevent abusive behaviour from taking place.

How do we tackle this issue? We cannot prevent people from posting abusive messages, but we can ensure that there is an effective mechanism in place to deal with them. This requires the co-operation of the law and social media providers. But we should be careful not to absolve ourselves of relational responsibility. By behaving appropriately online and encouraging others to do likewise, we can be part of the solution.

Social networking is fundamentally about building relationships, and this leaves us with a choice: we can choose to big ourselves up at the expense of others, or we can use social media to develop healthy and positive relationships that are of benefit to wider society. It is clear that these abusive messages have caused distress to Ms Criado-Perez, and this should cause us to consider the effect that our own actions online have upon others.

Read on...

In Plato’s Republic, Glaucon recounts the story of the Ring of Gyges while discussing justice with Socrates. In the tale, the protagonist stumbles across a ring that makes its wearer invisible and therefore enables him to act with near impunity. The full story can be read here.

Abuse on social media sites is especially worrying for those with young children. Consumer group Which? have produced a guide that provides tips on how parents can protect their children online.

Walk the talk

Have you given thought to how your behaviour online influences others? Are you behaving relationally towards others? When posting a message on a social networking site it is helpful to think ‘would I say this to the person face-to-face?’ If the answer is no, don’t post it.

The last word

From the Bible, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 29: ‘Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those that hear.’