No, it’s not nuclear or chemical warfare. The simple answer is: social media. What started out as a convenient and fun way to stay in touch with family and friends has taken on an ugly personality. Terrorists use it to organize actions; nut jobs learn how to build bombs; fringe groups ( Oathkeepers, Proud Boys, etc.) use it spread false information and incite their members to violence; people even use it to taunt their friends into dangerous/deadly acts; and some harass others into suicide. Yes, social media has grown into a seriously abused mechanism that has destroyed, is destroying and will destroy many lives. You need some examples? The spreading of “The Big Lie” has led many to join in the attack on the US Capitol. A recent individual (A Mr. Ayres) testified that he got all riled up after reading the misinformation about the election theft. Another example: Look at all the misleading info put out by anti-vaxxers during the height of the COVID pandemic. People didn’t know what to believe. Some didn’t get the vaccination because of what they read and, tragically died as a result. More examples: The recent assassination of Shinza Abe in Japan was accomplished by an individual who said he learned how to make a gun from social media. In this case it was the internet but the point is the same. Widespread access to unrestrained and uncensored information (social media) is way too dangerous and, when combined with the mindset of unstable individuals, becomes a minefield. We never know where, how, when and who will create tomorrow’s headlines. ALL WE REALLY KNOW IS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AND IT WILL BE SOME FORM OF DISASTER! This is the world we live in and we need to clean it up. Either social media needs more filtering and control or it needs to be abandoned. Sorry–all you social media buffs–the world cannot afford weapons of mass destruction. “The pen is mightier than the sword”. This is a very old saying and it was never truer than when applied to social media. We have weaponized every perverted mind on the planet and given them an unbridled path to carry out their darkest dreams. It’s time for us all to wake up.
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