Thai editorial: Social media better than security cameras

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Social media better than security cameras
The Nation

But like a knife, the online court of opinion can cut both ways

BANGKOK: -- Just when we thought our social conscience was in a hopeless skid, with selfishness and casual law-breaking out of control, there has emerged a glint of hope. The collective force of the social media has shown that the voice of civil society can separate right from wrong.

Police will never nail all the rogue drivers, no matter how many checkpoints and surveillance cameras they deploy. But in a recent case, they successfully prosecuted a man who was charged and then handed a one-month jail term after his reckless driving was exposed online. The video went viral thanks to his outrageous behaviour, flouting the law of the road and harassing fellow motorists. In days he was a common enemy of the people.

In another case, a man resisted attempts by AirAsia cabin crew to throw him off the plane. He recorded a video of the heated argument and uploaded it to the Net, but it backfired. Netizens in their thousands watched him throw a tantrum after cabin staff politely reminded him about the rules for carry-on luggage.

Instead of condemning the airline, the public reacted as one in ruling the man's behaviour unacceptable. He caused a scene after breaking airline rules and the flight was delayed as a result. Judged guilty in the court of social-media opinion, he rushed to the airline's office to offer an apology.

The two incidents illustrate that social-media users are more than just shallow individuals obsessed with snapping selfies and plates of restaurant food. They also share an interest in the common good and in upholding standards of behaviour.

The selfish and irresponsible shouldn't take them lightly: the growth of an online social conscience is a powerful thing in this digital age.

But it can only happen if enough Netizens understand the importance of rights and responsibilities. And that extends to respecting the rights of others. The Internet is a powerful tool for people who wish to assert their rights, as seen in the popular verdict against the plane passenger whose actions would deny others their allocation of baggage space. But it is important that everyone understands that their rights are no greater than those of the next person and that the enjoyment of those rights also comes with responsibilities. Only when we agree on that simple and natural rule for living together peacefully can we hope for a better society.

Of course, the social media are also used to suppress the rights of others. Some users spread malicious information or propaganda to victimise individuals or groups in an attempt to eliminate their voice in society. But the Internet is also a democratic space of many voices that cannot be dominated by a single group, and thus an ideal place for civil society to grow.

At the end of the day, the social media is merely the medium, a very powerful one, but nothing without the civil society that is taking root in its soil.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Social-media-better-than-security-cameras-30247530.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-12

[expat_4_life]

Quite a bit of nonsense here, especially the headline - really "Social Media vs. Security Cameras"?

However social media has certainly been shown to be a powerful force in the past decade, think Arab
Spring. The recent popularity of CSI facebook just goes to show that there is widespread support for
change to the basic institutions here. Is the status quo at a tipping point, only time will tell?

Got to love the thinly veiled threat/warning - "Some users spread malicious information or propaganda..."
That tells us exactly what is really acceptable without running afoul of the defamation laws here.

Edited November 12, 2014 by expat_4_life

[falangjim]

I love how the writer exudes his "Thainess" by being too afraid to mention the fact that CCTV footage in the Koh Tao murders shows a suspect conveniently overlooked by Thai police. There are over 400,000 "likes" and members of CSI LA on another social media site with some very valid claims in that case. Why doesn't the writer mention it? Is he afraid of the knife "cutting both ways?" The metaphor he should have used is, "The first through the wall always gets bloody." That is more apt. CSI LA are pioneers, and they will take a few cuts along the way, but for the greater good. IMHO

Only when we agree on that simple and natural rule for living together peacefully can we hope for a better society.

Eh? What the hell does that have anything to do with anything you've just written? So Thai. We should live together peacefully even if someone has run some red lights, caused a scene in an airplane...or been butchered on an island? What unicorn-and-rainbow world do you live in?

[toybits]

There is no respect for public opinion - especially if that opinion does not agree with some other peoples' opinion. So this headline is nothing but BS.

[EnglishJohn]

There is no respect for public opinion - especially if that opinion does not agree with some other peoples' opinion. So this headline is nothing but BS.

When the red-shirts came to Bangkok during the last protests, they were camped at a stadium near here.

I got to see what was happening pretty much live as it happened on social media. It was quite shocking including people getting shot by a sniper on a bridge with a police car at each end.

I was expecting some big headlines the following day, but what I read on Bangkok Post bore little resemblance to what happened. This was the point where I truly realised just how corrupt the media is in Thailand. They are bought just as much as everyone else.

I would never have learned this without social media which is impossible to suppress (or 'lose' the evidence). It is the red-shirts worst nightmare because it exposes their lies.

The 'Men in Black' on the labour ministry was another good example. Chalerm denied it completely and even blamed the protestors. The aerial video proved beyond any doubt what liars those people are. We would never have known without social media.

[jaywalker]

The only difference between social media (iPhones) and CCTV "maintained" by the government in Thailand is that iPhones actually work (as in they are cared for by their owners).

Edited November 12, 2014 by jaywalker

[SilverBeast]

Social Media, Especially Twitter, is far better for getting news now then actual news organizations. That...is something scary for the world.