The Bad Side of Social Media
Technology has always been the key to evolution. Today, in our modern world, it has become an integral part of us and society. Along with the good it brought, however, it also carried with it dangers, both evident and subtle, that threaten to reshape individual values and morals.
One of the the most successful things that technology has brought to people is social media. In the last ten years, social media was able to grow drastically, creating a new way of communication. This new way of transmitting information, however, cannot be screened and thus, even fake information was transmitted through it. For the past few years, misinformation has been one of the key issues that has grown to be very alarming.
In my opinion, one of the most disappointing and outrageous cases of fake news is the recent case of Christine Dacera, a flight stewardess claimed to be raped and murdered by her friends. After her death was leaked in social media, friends and relatives hastily claimed foul play. This placed a group of more or less 10 men on the spot, as netizens began an “online trial” for the deceased.
The case got out of hand as people became divided with their opinions and standpoints. While many were quick to point fingers at the group of men, some of their close friends and relatives were also quick in their defense:
These tweets from twitter are only a few of the reactions gathered from people who have heard the news. The men related to the case were quickly condemned. Names, locations, and other personal information were leaked within a span of 24 hours. The case trended for, at least, a week. Minute updates were also given to netizens who were deeply immersed with the case.
Despite the commotion against the suspects, the victim’s name was also dragged in the dirt unintentionally. The suspects, in their defense, had to speak up and clarify facts which, inevitably meant that Christine Dacera’s privacy would also be diminished. Toxicology and autopsy reports were leaked in social media as well, which opened up another angle in the case. As a result, secrets and unspoken matters within Dacera’s life that her mother was oblivious of had to come to light. This created matters worse since her mother had a hard time reconciling the truth about the daughter she knew and the woman being described to her.
Slowly, the men in question slowly came out to air their own sides to the story. Many different stories that would absolve them of the crime were released to the public. To counter the accusation of rape, the suspects were forced to share Dacera’s intimate relations. They were also forced to come out on their gender identity, which had detrimental effects for some of the people involved. Furthermore, they also explained what truly happened among the hotel rooms where Dacera came in and out of. Allegedly, she was under the influence of drugs and drank too much with some men she was not close with. As a result, her close friends–the men in question–had no choice but to drag her out of the room so as to stop her and finally make her rest.
This proved to be useless as she decidedly went out of their room once more, to come back to where she was dragged out from. Again, the friends took her back to their own room. It was said that she had to use the bathroom, and that, due to drunkenness, she decided to sleep there instead. They said that she claimed to have a headache, but thought little of it and considered it a hangover. When morning came, her friends came to check up on her, only to realize that she was already straining to breathe. According to their narration, they quickly tried to do CPR and called upon the hotel staff for emergency.
Dacera was then rushed to the hospital where she was said to die due to aneurysm. Her family was then informed of the incident, and her mother, upon seeing her daughter, claimed that hers was not a natural death. For weeks end, investigations occurred. Both sides had to take legal actions, and much to people’s displeasure, it was implied that the Philippine National Police had a hand in causing the misunderstanding of Dacera’s death without having the proper evidence to support their claims against the suspects.
In a medico-legal report published later on, it was shown that the victim died of “ruptured aortic aneurysm.” This did not deter her mother, though, from forcing responsibility upon the men related to the case. In this event, chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, expressed his own thoughts about the incident:
After evidences showed up proving the innocence of the suspects, many people who condemned them were quick to retract their statements and asked for forgiveness. Despite this, what’s done has been done, including the suspects’ breached privacies and tarnished images. Today, issues surrounding the Dacera case have subsided. Fewer updates are being given and it seems as though the public has now gotten over the uproar.
This case is a good example of how social media can easily be weaponized against anyone. The rule, “innocent until proven guilty” was quickly reversed, and the suspects, despite their innocence, had to struggle against the public condemnation to prove that they are not guilty of the crimes they are being accused of. Aside from this, it shows how powerful social media is and how fickle those that utilize them are. Nowadays, people believe easily in what they see online, especially if they are triggered by emotions. They are easy to overlook facts, despite their knowledge that anything can be manipulated by technology nowadays. They are also quick to falter in their convictions and switch sides, as long as that is where the trend is. Technology may have come a long way and social media may be very convenient, but as users, we must remember to be careful with what we say all the time. Especially so, everything we say online is sure to have receipts.
*receipts —screenshots and copies of tweets and posts found online.