We are getting dumber

"SOCIAL Media" with the emphasis on SOCIAL is changing.  Mark started Facebook while he was still in college. The initial idea was to bring college friends together. Soon he realised the potential of bringing the whole world together and the rest is history.

But things are changing..

Today we as users are using social media platforms for everything except being social and I will not be surprised if some channels cease to exist a couple of years from now.

As I mentioned before, there are claims that social media channels were manipulated in the election of US President, Donald Trump,  and that Twitter was also used to spark a revolution in Liberia.

Back home in good old SA..

Nope, here in South Africa we are also seeing our fair share of fake news and fake theories. I honestly don't know if I should cry or laugh at the pure stupidity of some of my friends on Facebook.

If you are a Christian then you may know that the Bible says in Matthew 13:12 and I quote "Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." 

 
So here is my (Fritz's) version of humans: "The bright will become brighter (cleverer) and the dumb will get dumber". Just read the comments on certain posts and you will soon realise that I am not far off with my statement. In fact, recently a Norwegian University did some research and came to the conclusion that the general IQ of humans is on a downward trend.

Example:

There is a post being circulated on Facebook and Whatsapp about child abductions in South Africa, the post claims that in South Africa a child is abducted every 30 seconds, it then goes on to tell how these children are being used in child trafficking.

But let's look at things in perspective:

Statement: In South Africa, a child gets stolen every 30 seconds to be kidnapped for the sex industry.

Truth or myth

1. Every minute=Two children are being stolen every minute (1 x child every 30 seconds x 2)
2. Every hour=120 Children are stolen (abducted) (2 children every minute x 60 minutes)
3. Every day=  total of 2880 children are stolen (120 children per hour x 24)
4. Every year= 1 051200 children are stolen (2880 x 365 days per year)

Statement like these are not only factually wrong but are also plain stupid and one needs to ask yourself what was the intention of the person who created this message? Yes, as a parent I understand that we need to be vigilant but statements like these also create unnecessary fear among parents. 

Conclusion

As users of social media, we will have to become more "vigilant" when we read random and shared posts. We also need the emotional intelligence to differentiate between what is right and what can be wrong because we live in a society that is overwhelmed with negative news, and sometimes it is just for sensation.

China blocked the use of Facebook, I will not be surprised if our government will follow suit, users will be blaming them for limiting Freedom of speech (which is bullshit anyway) but we need to blame ourselves for creating false, irresponsible posts and news.

If someone can prove me wrong then I will withdraw my opinion, I am not afraid to acknowledge defeat, so go ahead !

References:

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/13/health/falling-iq-scores-study-intl/index.html 

Actual Child Abduction post:

Human Trafficking...Child trade!
WARNING & ADVICE: IMPORTANT
"People I need to share something with you and I hope and pray that every person who has a child or grandchild will read this message although it is a bit long"
I had the opportunity to meet the lady that is in charge of the Organisation that fight HUMAN TRAFFICKING in South Africa, and believe me your hair will stand up when you hear what is going on in our country.
1. Did you know that in South Africa a child gets stolen every 30 seconds to be kidnapped for the sex industry?
2. The popular ages are between 4 and 12 years and then between 16 and 22 years.
3. NOW YOU BETTER SIT DOWN: When a child is stolen, he/ she exchange hands 21 times within 5 minutes. They do this to wipe out the tracks that can lead to the child. You will NEVER see that child again.
4. They immediately paralyse the child with an injection so the child can't make a sound.
5. Small children are passed on by hand. Bigger children are put in a wheelchair and covered with a blanket so everyone will think it is a disabled child.
6. The whole time the child is aware of what is going on around him/ her but are unable to move or make a sound.
7. Within 12 hours the child is loaded in a container with only a bottle of water. About 140 kids fits into one container with no sanitary facilities or ventilation.
8. The containers are then shipped and it takes about 21 days to reach Thailand, China or Japan. The whole time that children are locked in that container. About 4 of the 140 children survive.
9. The sindicates work on 2 survivers per shipment. They say a child is about a 7 milion income in a 5 year period. After that the child's time is up and they throw them in the sea for the sharks to finish their dirty work.
10. DONT'S ===
☆ Don't send your child to the shop or the cafe alone.
☆ Keep your child close to you in the Malls and don't let them out of your sight.
☆ Don't let another child look after your child. Children don't have that sense of responsibility.
11. THE MOST POPULAR TIME AND PLACES TO STEAL CHILDREN ARE IN THE MORNINGS ON THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL, IN THE AFTERNOON ON THEIR WAY BACK HOME, WEEKENDS IN JOLLS AND IN MALLS.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share this with as many parents and grandparents as possible. Our childrens lives are at stake here. It sounds like a horror movie but we live in a SICK world with many "sick" people in it.
********************** ABOVE IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO READ... PLEASE
DO NOT IGNORE THE SIGNS.
Received and forward it as it is.