Is it time to review the way we comment online.

I know this isn’t a new idea however the current noise around the many world events and local tragedies has forced me to put pen to paper – or in this modern age – fingers to keyboard!

It’s not new to comment on the way people comment on FB posts and other Social Media and online forums. But really, although the comments are sometimes warm, accepting and encouraging they are very often mean, nasty and even spiteful, so much more so than compared with the comments that people would dare to say in person?  

In Australia, this is so very different from the much-lauded ethos of a ‘fair go’.  Is this just the faceless nature of social media? If it is, then, we have a lot to answer for as we embrace all of these new mediums with little or no thought to the ways in which they are changing our social mores forever, impacting on the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours and changing the way civilised people socialise and engage in debate.  

I am sometimes truly shocked to read the comments that people are prepared to make on social media, and they make them from their accounts which are often unsecured social profiles with an alarming amount of personal details – do they realise?

I’ve recently read an opinion piece written by Amy Carr in which she describes the abuse, she received after details of her action against a barber for discrimination became known – she claims that the abuse included rape & death threats!

Is Social Media changing society mores this much – last year we commemorated the 100^th anniversary of Armistice Day perhaps we should remember the way the world changed during two World Wars - people blindly followed hateful speech and behaviour.   Profound changes to societal norms followed and the defence forces, normal civilians and even children were all caught up. What followed, as we all know, were acts of barbaric cruelty, all committed in the name of allegiance to some power or demigod who preached ideology which supported these acts.  This type of environment allows sociopathic behaviours to be normalised and changes society forever.

Never has it been so important to truly know yourself and to have a strong moral compass. Principles should be stronger than circumstance, a conviction is not something that we change to suit the current moment.  Oprah Winfrey said, "Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not."  Well put – even when no one is watching – listen to your inner voice, don’t let it be drowned out by the loud modern world that surrounds us.  We can all be better than this – when a disaster strikes the evidence is all around.

We really need strong leaders, people who are guided by good and moral thinking, not self-interest and expediency – am I just a dreamer?  Maybe so but we certainly need to question the ideas and the sentiment around us, even the language being used.

 Ideology is a notion best left with the gods in heaven not practised by mere mortals here on earth.