Irish Examiner view: Good and evil of social media

An international distress signal pioneered on TikTok should be adopted, and understood, internationally.

Within the space of a few days, it is possible to appreciate the immense power of social media and its capacity for both good and evil.

It is reprehensible that the domestic details of the chief executive of the child and family agency Tusla and those of members of his staff should be circulated on Twitter enabling them to be targeted and abused by opponents and critics.

The harassment staff have faced include death threats, defamation, the posting of photographs of the children of members of staff, and home addresses and the date, time, location, and name of a hotel in Ireland which was being visited by a Tusla employee for a family holiday with a suggestion that a group could gather to protest.

Sinister and threatening

This is not the first time that such complaints have been raised with Twitter but the fact that such data can be organised under specific hashtags such as #BringItToTheirDoors, a phrase both sinister and threatening, implies that the speed of response and remedial action is too slow, in comparison to the alacrity with which such egregious content can be distributed.

Meanwhile, the story of the teenage girl in North America who was rescued from abduction by displaying the international distress signal “Help Me” pioneered on TikTok by the Canadian Women’s Foundation is a compelling reminder of the positive benefits and speed of social media.

The hand gesture, holding up the palm of a hand and then using it repeatedly to cover the thumb, evolved as a warning of coercion and anxiety. In this case, a 16-year-old girl held captive in a car by a 61-year-old man in Kentucky was able to alert a passing driver who then liaised with police to arrange a roadblock and release.

This is a symbol that should be adopted, and understood, internationally.