Two (2) lawyers debated in court and a blogger broadcasted it on social media. The blogger sided with one lawyer and criticised the other. Viewers commented; some insulted and ridiculed the lawyer the blogger criticised. The post goes viral. The comments multiply with more insults and memes against the criticised lawyer.
I thought at first the blogger was right, until I realised I knew the lawyer being criticised. She had been an attorney for the building I had an office in. I watched her grow from an inexperienced junior lawyer to a successful partner. The blogger’s post and the insulting comments were unfair as they did not consider the background of the criticised lawyer. I posted a comment which went against the tide of the blogger’s post: the lawyer is brilliant.
I have sometimes fallen into the trap of making mean comments on social media platforms without thinking through the issues behind the posts I had read.
Social media is just as much an incubator of misinformation just as much as it is a channel for information. Viewers are left to figure out what is the truth and what isn’t.
Ellery's Essays 