I keep hearing on the news how people are being "radicalized" through social media. I am on Facebook. I have a Twitter account. I am not being approached to be "radicalized."
Okay, I admit that I rarely use my Twitter account.
And, I do not post much on Facebook, and I am selective about who I "friend." But, I am not being "radicalized," or even approached about being "radicalized."
This tells me that the people who are being "radicalized" are out there, seeking information about other cultures or somehow are seeking out the sites that will invite them to be "radicalized." I am not sure social media is to blame. I think that the lack of a moral compass for people in our society is to blame. I think that people who are feeling disenfranchised, disaffected, and passed over by society are at risk of being "radicalized," social media or not.
Maybe it is immigrants who come to this country with the intention of committing terroristic acts. Maybe it is people who have been deep seeded into terrorist cells who have been radicalized. Maybe it is residents, born and bred in this country, who have been radicalized. These people are difficult to track and follow. Maybe it is other members of society who have been radicalized for other reasons.
But, for whatever reason, being "radicalized" has less to do with social media and more to do with the mental mind set of the individual. The problem with social media is that people are not being approached one at a time, but by mass media.
Personally, without the benefit of statistics and social studies, I think the number of people who are being "radicalized" on Facebook is minuscule in comparison to the healthy social media interaction that is occurring.
The problem is that radicalization terrorizes the American public, as it should.
No comments:
Post a Comment