Five Cent Piece
Giving views worth two cents is old hat. Five cent pieces aren't worth much, but will buy this opinion.
Boxes marked as fragile are often treated with the gentleness and subtlety of a flying half brick.
That comment, although clever, is not a Five Cent Piece original. It is an altered quote, by one of the best authors of all time, Terry Pratchett.
Question is, would you have realised that, if the facts were not pointed out here? That was a small example into the workings of social media. People use it, abuse it, and often flaunt it. Social media has given the voiceless a voice. Spellcheck software has given the illiterate and barely literate the opportunity to sound very clever.
The actual intended uses for the social media sites we frequent on a daily basis have long been lost in the excitement of posting about your latest trip to the garage on the corner to buy a cooldrink. Or attacking people with your opinions, which are often just as misguided and guileless as the very platform you choose to amplify your digital voice.
Plagiarism runs rife. Keyboard masters blast out repertoires of caveats. Real opinions are oft lost in wishy-washy posts of the masses, while even more often honest opinions of individuals are too extremist and shocking to relate.
It’s a fast-paced, action-packed world. Users are glued to their screens in search of the next fix of Internet adrenaline. As a budding journalist, the wonders of social media are not lost on this solicitor of fast-paced literature. But the fallacy thereof is even more apparent.
As you tap away nonchalantly at your keys, try and remember; the effect of words on a screen is quickly lost in the depths of the blooming online society. By all means, post away. Someone, somewhere is watching, refreshing the page, and laughing hysterically.
