The development over recent years of social media as the place where increasing numbers of people play out their lives has been something to behold.

Social media offers great opportunities to learn as well as connect with a variety of people. It is also a forum whereby it is possible to cut oneself off from the real world surrounded by people who echo your own views.

It can be a force for good or ill. Take one example, the issue of crime. In many local areas, there are now hubs where people exchange information about all sorts of things. It can just be advice, services on offer or what is happening on crime.

There are positives and negatives. It is good to know what is happening in the local area, especially on issues like crime. As I know from my own experience forewarned can very much be forearmed when it comes to avoiding becoming a victim of crime.

The problem comes when social media helps create a false picture of what is really going on.

A crime takes place that is then hyped up. Vengeance seems to be a popular sentiment expressed, though in most cases this is of little value to the victim. The blame game also ensues – did the police do all they could, etc?

The potential for creating a crime panic on social media came home, recently, when canvassing a local road. A number of people, who were on social media, told me how bad crime had got, others in the same road, not on social media, thought things no worse than usual.

The most worrying aspect of this scenario is that social media can help create fear in the community.

Some people can finish up literally cowering behind their doors due to fear of crime outside.

Social media can of course be of value in combatting crime, letting people know what is going on.

So, more specifically there can be things like WhatsApp groups whereby people look out for each other in their own roads.

So there are pluses and minuses of social media when it comes to issues like crime. The line is crossed when misrepresentation occurs that creates fear in the community of something that may not even exist.

See:paulfdonovan.blogspot.com