The Perils of Social Media -Three films

AI generated image

 It’s well and truly winter here. There’s snow to 800 metres today, so I thought I’d just settle down with some hot chocolate and tell you about some movies I’ve seen lately and finish my overdue library books.

There has been a lot of controversy about Social Media in Australia and talk of banning it for under 16s.  The USA wants to ban TikTok unless it comes under US ownership and AI is under fire on a number of counts, most recently because it has been used both in Australia and the US to generate nudes from images of schoolgirls. We’ll dive into some of those issues and what other countries are doing shortly.

The three stories below are examples of misuse of social media which should serve as a warning. All are based on real life events and I applaud the women who have been brave enough to come forward and tell their stories. Unfortunately, these are all on Netflix but next time I will include some docos which are on YouTube and which should be readily available and free to watch.

"The Tinder Swindler"

The first - "The Tinder Swindler,” was about an online dating scammer who seduced several young women by claiming to be the son of a Diamond Broker. At first it was all private planes and fancy restaurants, until it came time to pay the piper and they suddenly found themselves in debt on his behalf.

“The Most Hated Man on the Internet”

In the second one we meet another despicable gentleman (not the word I would use) in the “The Most Hated Man on the Internet.” He takes a different tack and uses the most underhanded methods to obtain private and intimate images in order to gather audience hits and hence advertising or subscriptions. It takes one girl’s mother to put a stop to it.

To find out what happened after the Movie ends Click here, but not before you’ve seen it.

“Can I tell you a Secret?”

The third movie “Can I tell you a Secret?” reflects yet another devious abuse of people’s social media accounts, this time set in the UK.

 

While there is some kind of resolution in all of these, the punishment usually doesn’t match the crime and only the second story brings some kind of lasting change at law. However, the trauma for victims remains. As of 2019 California – ever at the forefront of change, has passed two laws, one to prevent malicious use of AI for political purposes at election times, the second is to prevent the use of sexually explicit material without consent of the parties involved.

Controversies abound. Does freedom of Speech trump Truth? Should unscientific claims be allowed to propagate online? China is countersuing the US Government saying the ban on TikTok is contrary to the US First Amendment – i.e. Free Speech. What do you think? Next time we'll talk about the impact on young people and some of the remedies which various countries are deploying to avert some of the negative aspects of Social Media.