SARAH WILD: Social media could come back to bite us — like nuclear energy
It is a catastrophe for a country such as South Africa to reduce people to caricatures, writes Sarah Wild
South Africans, like another 2-billion people worldwide, have swallowed social media without a second thought. Nuclear technology, cloning and fracking we consider to be dangerous technologies, things to be protested against, fought about, strongly regulated. But we welcome constant connection to a virtual world and are really only frustrated that high data costs inhibit greater contact. In SA, there are 13-million Facebook and 7.4-million Twitter users. Social media appear to have missed the backlash and resistance that usually accompanies the introduction of new technologies. With few qualms, many users upload their private data, photos, location and thoughts. Organisations and companies once were desperate to have you part with your personal information. Today, they are trying to find ways to deal with the glut of social media information. China has taken the overt step of using your data to decide the kind of person you are and either reward or punish you for it. The aim is that...
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