This is not about all the rumour-mongering and speculative posts that have flooded the social media over the sad and mysterious disappearance of MH370. Rather, this is about the many posts on animal welfare that we see on the social media, including this blog, on a daily basis.
You might have noticed that we seldom post news about the horrific and abusive things that people do to animals per se. Especially when the news is to lament, complain and criticise. For example, “Oh my gosh, look at how terrible this is! How could anyone do such a thing!” and it stops there. What is the point of highlighting such things when the message is only “People are horrible and people do horrible things to animals.”? It is different if the news is followed by something constructive, ie. “This is what you could do to help make it better.” Then perhaps there is a good purpose in sharing the news.
Previously, there was one reader who kept sending me the most horribly graphic news about animal abuse and she would insist that I post them to “tell the world”. I had to tell her to stop.
Personally, I don’t like to highlight the bad. Of course some good may come from creating the awareness that animal abuse exists on earth, but wouldn’t it be better use of cyberspace to highlight all the good things that people do for the animals? Don’t you feel good, motivated and inspired when you read good news and real-life stories about beneficial things that people do?
Even if we think there is a purpose in highlighting all the bad, then please critique and not blatantly criticise. To critique is to offer a better way of doing things IF we think something is not being done right. To criticise is simply to say all that is wrong and bad.
The social media LOVES bad news. Bad news sells. But bad news per se does not bring much good to anyone, does it?
Please do think about this the next time you decide to share or forward bad news (per se) in your social media portal.
These questions might help you decide:
Will this news do any good to anyone?
Did this news do any good to me?
Comments
6 responses to “Does posting bad news do any good?”
MAY ALL LIVING BEINGS IN THIS UNIVERSE BE WELL N HAPPY.
I’m glad that someone finally voiced this out. The postings of horrible animal abuses been so rampant that I had to block some of it on my FB. Worse of all, some are not even happenings in M’sia! What is the point of posting that?? And almost 90% of those postings never say how anyone can help with that situation. So bravo for voicing out!
I agree. I’m a bit more tolerant if the person posting is asking me to sign a petition which asks for a specific action, but even then, I sometimes wonder if these petitions do much good. Simply posting accounts of cruelty, however, is non-productive.
As for me, it really irritates me when people takes a picture of an animal (injured especially) and post something like “Can somebody help? This animal is injured?”. Granted some may just be passing by and cannot stop to help, but most times, that person IS able to help in some way … perhaps bring it to the Vet first. or call the Civil Service if the animal is trap. Then posted, ok, I saw this done that but I need further help if you can. I have many, many real life examples of my own, but shall reserve my stories and comments.
I agree with you Joy. I can understand if the person who posted such pics are 1st time animal rescuers and have zero knowledge whatsoever about the nearest vet in their location or how to sort-of give 1st aid response (if possible). But hey, at least, try to do something 1st la kan…rather that ‘blackmailing’ the netizens who read such posts.
Actually, I don’t fault those who post the “I saw an injured animal, who can help?” messages though I totally agree with Joy and Akmar that if they can help, please help too, instead of just reporting the case. But giving them the benefit of the doubt, maybe some simply cannot help, so at least they highlight it and ask for help. But those who emotionally-blackmail is another story altogether. We’ve received many cases of “If you cannot subsidise in full, I will put the animal to sleep.” That constitutes emotional-blackmailing.
But what I wanted to highlight in this post is none of the above. I was talking about those who keep posting photos and news of animal abuse and cruelty. And as Wendy says, some don’t even happen here and some are not even verified. Not much good comes out of simply posting such news unless there is a good reason, as Maneki says, to join in a petition of something that is productive and constructive.