NST Leader: When going viral crosses boundaries

In the last 63 years, two murders and a beating captured on amateur video triggered unprecedented sociopolitical backlash that overhauled criminal investigations and the justice system.

First, on Nov 22, 1963, Abraham Zapruder used a home movie camera to shoot a 26-second footage of United States president John F. Kennedy’s assassination, spurring 63 years of conspiracy theories on “who killed JFK?” Second, on March 3, 1991, George Holliday used a camcorder to record Los Angeles police officers’ unprovoked assault on Rodney King, triggering riots and political unrest.

Third, on May 25, 2020, Darnella Frazier used a smartphone to record police officers’ murder of George Floyd in a Minneapolis street, becoming a legally and culturally impactful civilian video. These three pieces of footage inspired laws, public policies and political movements.

Now, pit these three videos against those uploaded on Malaysian social media, some of which had, to police consternation, compromised investigations and hurt sensitivities of families of victims.

Malaysia may not be the theatre for crimes matching JFK, King or Floyd, but on the probability of millions of smartphone users, one could be captured. Users upload videos from the mundane to the inane, and most recently, videos that disrupt police investigations.

The sources are dashcam footage of highway accidents or road rage altercations. Police acknowledged that many individuals are too eager to upload without understanding the legal or investigatory ramifications.

Because of this insensitivity, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was compelled to initiate a major digital literacy campaign to educate smartphone users.

Besides the technical and ethical regulations, users will be persuaded to submit relevant footage to the police first before uploading it on social media.

It’s understandable that smartphone users treat video virality as a civic duty, but this instinct to record, upload, share and speculate often morphed into an obsession for clicks, crossing boundaries of ethics, decency and law.

Social media algorithms instigate these instincts, feeding and rewarding outrage and sensationalism. The problem is as much cultural as it is technological: empowered citizens document wrongdoings and improve accountability.

This we can agree. Therefore, the MCMC’s digital literacy efforts must prioritise ethics and morality, particularly on when “not” to upload.

Drum into users the stark difference between civic-mindedness and feeding the Internet’s insane appetite for aggrandisement.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times