Vaccines, Presidential Elections, and COVID-19 – are three phenomena that come to mind when we hear the shrieks about the dangers of social media.  

Americans are almost famous for the degree of polarized thinking they apply to virtually any situation. There are no excellent Republican ideas, no good ideas coming from Democrats, and only when one embodies beliefs wholesale are they qualified or legitimate in the eyes of whatever cult whose support they rely on or are trying to acquire.

Social media offers a powerful solution if we would only use its potential – millions of people are using it to connect with one another, question government and religious dogma, entertain themselves, or – gasp- make money, yet it has been consistently derided as evil by media outlets, government leaders, educational outlets, and religious organizations – the very same entities that attempt to use these very outlets to push their messaging and advance their positions.

Any medium that has put information in control of the everyday person has been railed against by those interested in controlling what the masses know. Any medium that has empowered the everyday person to make money without relying on corporate interests has been threatened with extinction.

Why are we more concerned about the misinformation a housewife in Alabama puts out than the lies put out by government entities that destroy wealth and young lives on battlefields and prisons?

How many lives has she destroyed compared to government and corporate bodies? 

Quick history lesson you might not need as a framework. The Ottoman Empire banned the printing press, and the Catholic Church forbade translation of the Bible into native languages. Why?

BHCW has benefited immensely from social media outlets.

Prior to its emergence, information about local government decisions were controlled through small groups of politically connected individuals who would use controlled forums to push out misinformation. Any individual who became effective at exposing the misinformation was locked out of these groups and then ridiculed mercilessly with no ability to defend themselves. At the same time, those in positions of power sat comfortably behind their mouthpieces.

This is no longer the case.  

While these forums and practices continue to exist, they are no longer as effective. Misinformation is largely relegated to private chats and comments that avoid substantive issues, focusing on vapid, angry personal attacks that undermine their positions even more.  

I would argue that social media has allowed facts and evidence to be the standard by which Berkeley Heights residents now evaluate their local government, and, interestingly enough, the old voices do not use the platform to express their messaging (as they are allowed to do).

Why?

No one wants to put their names to a narrative that can quickly be turned on its head with evidence.

The evidence is in the outcomes. Community discussions in Berkeley Heights are no longer about “my best friend is running for BOE, and she is a great person!!! #soblessed” We have begun to include track record and resume. We are finally talking about issues and qualifications instead of people and personalities. We are finally having community-wide discussions about proficiency; budgets are available, and information from closed-door meetings is accessible.  

These might be difficult discussions but the cost of not having them is far more painful and harmful to our community and our students.

Allowing all sides, as wrong as some perspectives might be, allows for authentic vetting and a stronger understanding of the truth. Silence always leads to legitimizing that which you are trying to silence – it gives the impression that not only is one’s argument so weak that it cannot withstand a proper debate, but it adds to the impression that one would go to undemocratic, fascist mechanisms to silence opposition.

The remedy to wrong positions is not censoring but addressing them face to-face, respectfully, with the person you disagree with.

When an argument cannot be adequately countered, an open and reasonable mind would adopt it as a plausible perspective – those appear to be in short supply throughout the country. This is mainly due to media outlets and governments devolving into teams with their own interests and a manner of doing business that seeks to lock out opposing viewpoints.

Everyone in Berkeley Heights now has access to the same information without having to make friends with someone in the office.  

Everyone in Berkeley Heights now has a place to express their opinion without fear of being banned or having their voice removed because of false legal threats from government entities or special interests who control outlets.

With that said, BHCW will continue to insist that all content be connected to government business and have a factual basis so that a proper debate on the interpretations of facts can exist.

Of course, social media has a downside – freedom, and democracy always did- but we must consider the overwhelming benefits to our community and its potential benefits for others. We should also remember that the costs of the alternative are far worse.

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