Social Media is to Blame!

Posted by Shanon Scully

This morning shocking footage was broadcast into my cereal bowl as Channel Nine’s Today Show reported a school yard bullying incident in Melbourne [click to view video].

Reading further into the story online, journalists at Herald Sun started to place the blame on social media, particularly Facebook.

This is of course not the first time that social media has had to wear the blame for society’s unruly behavior.

Earlier this year ABCNews.com reported on Flash Robberies and Violent Flash Mobs who orchestrated their anti-social behavior using Twitter.

Last year, the UK’s The Telegraph reported that teachers were blaming social media for an increase in poor grades amongst school children.

So with social media in the center of these issues, we should all be pointing the finger at Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, and Twitter creator Jack Dorsey!

These two men are to blame for school yard violence and mass anti-social demonstrations… Or that’s what it sounds like in the media!

Social media is a tool, a powerful tool which is used by millions with good intentions.

A knife is also a tool, used my millions to cut carrots, skillet fish or the unlikely scenario of saving a damsel in distress who has been tied up on train tracks.

However with evil intentions a knife can be used to harm, inflict pain and kill.

It is highly unlikely that when I open my Sunday Mail I would read the headlines: “Wiltshire knife to blame for death”.

We can’t shift the blame to the tool when it’s the person using it who should be taking the responsibility.

Do you think we should be blaming social media or is it still the responsibility of the user?