It is absolutely wonderful that technology has placed the universe at our fingertips and the information we crave is only a few clicks away. This is a powerful tool which serves to educate our kids and literally answer our every question. But, just like a knife which is useful in the kitchen, it can be used to harm.
How many times have we sat and watched grossly disturbing videos of fights between school children with no one intervening yet there is someone recording the event? How many times do we see cellphone videos of individuals recording instead of assisting accident victims? Then there are those of women recorded behind closed doors only to find itself on the web when the relationship turns sour. There was even a video recently of two women speaking about disappearing named individuals through occult means.
Of late there has been an increase in the graphic nature of these postings almost as if it has become part of the St. Lucian culture.
While this is not limited to the 180,000 plus people living in St. Lucia it is certainly more damaging in small environments like ours where “everybody knows everybody.” We have seen individuals from all walks of life get adversely affected by this technological wildfire and just like a real wildfire it may get worse before it gets better.
So, what is the fix?
First and foremost, we need to reexamine our moral compass, reevaluate what is important to us as an individual and as a country. Not everything that is forwarded to our cellphones must be shared. That is easier said than done when we seemingly survive on “likes” and forwarding sordid videos equates to more accolades.
Then we have the law. More legislation may have to be enacted to go after individuals promoting and encouraging unsavory viral videos as well as enforcing the applicable laws that may already be on the books. In the UK, for example, privacy rights are protected by the UK Human Rights Act of 1998, which aims to prevent other people from interfering with your life. It stipulates that personal information about you, including photographs and correspondence such as letters and emails, shouldn’t be shared publicly without your permission. Other personal information, such as your address and telephone number, is protected under the Data Protection Act of 2018. In the US and some other countries, sharing a video of someone without their consent, especially of a sexual nature, can reap prison time of 1 to 3 years or fines of $150,000 {US Department of Justice}.
This new disturbing phenomenon speaks clearly to the moral decay in our society. This uncaring, callus, selfish, vulgar, senseless behavior must be attended to if we are to rescue the next generation, but it must be done now.
Prayers alone may not be enough.