IT is mad and complicated out there in the cyber world these days. Many people think that being Internet savvy has something to do with being technology inclined.
In actual fact, with the many types of devices we have today, anyone with zero computer knowledge can still surf the Internet and get connected with friends, family members and even strangers the world over through social networking.
Contrary to popular belief, knowing all this does not mean being Internet savvy. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, knowing how to post and share the latest news, photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram does not make you an expert on the Internet.
Recent posts and shares by many Malaysians on social networking sites have proven that Malaysians are not as Internet savvy as they make themselves out to be.
Let us take the the recent sharing of so-called news bites from the World Daily News Report (WNDR) site. First there was a piece on a wild boy found in the jungles of Borneo being brought up by orang utans. Then just recently, the piece on a crown prince converting to another religion.
As the WNDR released this ‘information’, many jumped and got curious, excited and then ‘trigger-happy’ with the share button, spreading false news among friends, family members and eventually within and outside the community they live in.
Sadly many Internet users fail to check the authenticity of such news. Maybe because the name of the news site sounds credible. Perhaps the way the news bites are written sounds so convincing that many take them as genuine.
Or could it be that many of us just do not think to check things out? Surprisingly, those seen sharing such news can be educated and, yes, supposedly well-informed people.
Their comments posted along with the fake news can be so passionate that it makes one wonder how something that comes across as supermarket tabloid-like to some of us can be so real to others.
It wouldn’t have taken more than two clicks to find out that WNDR itself acknowledges that all its news is fictitious.
The disclaimer on the website states: “World News Daily Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within worldnewsdailyreport.com are fiction, and presumably fake news.”
Another example of how many people can be gullible on the net is when they fall victim to convincing manipulations of graphics.
Remember the videos warning of a disgusting looking skin condition with holes and what looked like worms coming out of them?
In the end, it was just some naughty scammers who convincingly photoshopped a lotus seed pod. The deal was to get people curious enough to see what this skin condition was and how they could avoid it.
Those who clicked on the video were asked to share it before they could view it. Unfortunately for them, they could neither view the video or find out what the ‘skin disease’ was.
What many did not realise was that it was just a scam to plant a bug in the computer or mobile device that the victim was using, for who knows what purpose.
Similarly, there were videos claiming to be the actual footage of MH17 being shot down, which again had the same modus operandi as the lotus seed pod scam.
This, Eye found to be very distasteful – that inconsiderate scammers and phishers would take advantage of a tragedy for their own gain.
Being Internet savvy does not only mean that one has to watch out for fake news, videos or photos and graphics that have been altered to catch our attention. It is also about how we react to certain news, especially reports that can cause discord or disunity between different communities.
Yes, the Eye is referring to reacting to and sharing items such as the postings of racists and religious bigots. Much of this has been happening of late.
Social networking vigilantes who weed out these postings may have the best of intentions at heart, that is to expose such poisonous thoughts. At the same time, they do not realise that the Internet is an uncontrolled sphere where things can spiral out of control once something is shared or made public. How we react to these postings can also make a social impact. In most cases, bigots and racists have that one intention – to be seen and heard.
By giving them the opportunity to be heard, or read, by sharing and lashing out in anger at their posts, we are further helping their agenda of creating mistrust and conflict.
And so the question, after having examined your own reactions and habits on the Internet, is do you consider yourself Internet savvy and discerning of what you see and read in this mad and wild world wide web?
Comments can reach the writer via [email protected].