I saw this posting on the CNet Asia site and thought it would be good fodder for our discussion about some of the problems with being a Digital Citizen.
How would we handle false information spread so quickly on a college campus today?
Cheers -- George
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Abusing Technology - China Earthquake Aftermath
May 15, 2008 20:32
I have been saying that technology is amoral - it is not good nor
bad, its neutral. What makes it bad or good is how it's being used by
human beings. Use technology to educate or benefit other people, make
procedures faster and more efficient is putting technology into good
use. Using technology to ruin someones reputation, spreading gossips
and false news is an example of how one can use technology in a bad way.
The
7.9 magnitude earthquake in China really shocked me. Pictures and
videos showing people trapped in rubble is a sad sight to see. I can
only offer my prayers that more survivors will be found and to those
who lost their love ones may find strength, wisdom and peace.
What
angered me was how some people can find this incident an opportunity to
spread false information using technology. Hours after the incident,
news that an earthquake with the same magnitude will hit the
Philippines spread via text message.
It's only but natural that
people get worried after receiving this kind of information. So what's
the next step? People who received the message will try to confirm the
news by texting a friend and the friend will again text another friend
for confirmation. In a short time, the message was received by tens of
thousands of mobile phone users that prompted government officials to
come out on TV to refute the news.
This is one incident that no
matter how you look at it, I can't find a single reason to smile or to
be happy. I just hope that people will be more sensitive next time. Do
not make fun of an unfortuunate incident like the China earthquake.