You are spending a quiet Saturday afternoon at home.
There is a knock at the door.
You open it to find a young female police officer standing there, a concerned look on her face.
Instantly you think the worse.
What has happened?
You go through a quick inventory in your mind as to the whereabouts of loved ones.
She asks you to confirm your name.
You do so, the unease and worry increasing.
She asks if your son (let’s call him John) is at home and is he ok?
You exhale a sigh of relief. You know he is in his room having only just seen him at lunch.
You tell the policewomen so.
She then goes on to explain that they had received a telephone call from someone in the United States of America who was worried that John may have harmed himself. Apparently this person had been on the same online forum as our son and was alarmed at some comments John had made. They were aware of John's surname , the town he lived in and were so concerned that they took the time and effort to track down the number of our local police station and make a call which had then resulted in this police women’s visit.
I was able to reassure the police women that everything was all right and explained that our son did have problems (see my post ‘Why Can’t They Control That Screaming Child?’). Happy at the situation and after receiving our thanks she left. Needless to say my wife and I then had a good talk to John and were able to assess and help address his issues.
Afterwards I was able to reflect on what had happened.
First of all I was very moved by the actions of the unknown person in America who had shown such compassion towards our son. Thankfully In this case, although John was very depressed and had written about suicide, there was no immediate danger. However this person didn’t know that and their prompt actions could have saved a life. For their deep empathy and concern I thank them.
Secondly this whole episode was only possible thanks to the power of social media. Even five years earlier (we are talking about some eleven years ago) I doubt whether such a thing would even have been possible. Social media with its’ worldwide reach had made it possible for a person thousands of miles away to hear a cry for help and make a decision to assist.
The third point was that there is so much written about the dangers of social media such as online stalking, bullying, grooming etc, that its huge benefits tend to be overlooked. I’m not saying that everything is perfect. Far from it, social media is a powerful tool that can be – and is – abused. Therefore there does need to be some checks and balances – what form those take is perhaps the subject for another post.
Forth – The online, social media world was (and still is) a huge part of John’s social interaction. He can talk to someone on line quite happily but put him in a face to face meeting with the same person and he would fall apart. The anonymity offered by an online conversation can be enough to encourage an otherwise socially anxious person to interact with people.
Fifth, and to my mind the single most powerful aspect of social media, is the ability for instant, worldwide communication. Just take this Steemit platform as an example. As soon as I post this missive it can be read by nearly anyone, anywhere on the planet. In the right (or on the negative side – wrong) hands this ability to potentially influence millions of people could change the course of history – just think of the Arab Spring and Donald Trump’s election campaign. This world changing aspect of social media will only increase as the technology develops. People across the world can group together for a cause regardless of borders and national governments.
Without doubt social media can be a force for good. From helping individuals to the bringing together of thousands the impact of social media will only increase.
Some of my other posts that you may be interested in:-
Sunset over the North Yorkshire Moors
My first attempt at digital art
How too much news may not be good for us
Another one on how dogs can help us
A personal experience of Aspergers’ syndrome
A trip to the historic island of Lindisfarne (Holy Island)
Until next time - take care of yourselves.