On Aug. 14, Reuters reported that over 1,000 people had been arrested following UK riots that began in July. As reported by Reuters, the riots followed the killings of three young girls in the town of Southport. These murders are tragic enough but what seems to have set off the riots was online misinformation that blamed an Islamist migrant for the killings.

Since the murders, there has been a lot of online vitriol regarding migrants, borders, immigration and the like. This has led to controversial discussions about social media companies and what responsibilities they have or do not have to address the spread of false information. All of this is happening thousands of miles from Marshalltown, Iowa but it sure does feel and sound familiar.

Social media and online communication have become for most of us a daily tool that we use to receive and share information. Many people rely on social media platforms for news and other information that they utilize to make decisions or judgments about the issues of the day.

Political and crime stories seem to draw the most attention. News and information about these issues can travel fast. Misinformation travels equally fast and once the misinformation is in cyberspace, it is hard to reign it in.

The race to be first, not accurate, is being run not just by bloggers, podcasters, and journalists alike but also by our friends, family, and neighbors. The game of telephone has become lightning fast, and where misinformation is concerned, dangerous. Reputations can be quickly destroyed. In worst case scenarios, like what we are seeing in the UK, misinformation leads to tangible risks to lives and property. One misstep with our social media echo chambers, and people who are normally reasonable, can go off half-cocked in a dangerous direction.

We see this locally all the time. Negative commentary, and bully-like behavior, can be rampant on Marshalltown area pages. Misinformation about many topics quickly spreads and truth is lost. People often bloviate about topics they think they know because they saw something, somewhere on a social media page. These online discussions quickly spiral into negative directions where facts no longer matter.

We lose sight of what is truth and only care about proving ourselves right. Proving yourself right on the Internet is easily accomplished because the misinformation you have been relying upon can be found around every corner algorithm. The information you seek, and only that information, is now dumping onto your pages to be devoured by an insatiable appetite to hear what you want to hear. Facts and truth no longer matter.

Oftentimes, what we consume and share via social media is meaningless and ignored by most. Certainly, we all have the right to an opinion and we have the right to share these opinions. However, opinions are not facts and we have lost the ability to know the difference.

Hackers and criminals take advantage of our propensity to consume misinformation. Online scams have become big business. Social media romance cons are preying on the elderly and the lonely. Political misinformation is having a real impact on elections. Foreign adversaries are more than happy to use our allegiance to misinformation to their advantage. Bots, spam, and fake pages quickly fill our feeds and sometimes our list of social media “friends.”

In a world that grows smaller each day, and becomes more connected each moment, we have never been more isolated or divided because of our overreliance on what we read online and under reliance on common sense. We have stopped asking real questions. We have stopped looking for the truth of the matter.

Keyboard warriors are ruling the day and we are losing the ability to empathize with our fellow human beings.

This past week, far too many people have made hurtful and speculative comments about an ongoing criminal investigation in Marshalltown. These comments do have repercussions. Uninformed statements presented as fact can cause real harm to innocent people who are grieving. Misinformation leads to more negative comments — and as we are seeing in the UK — can lead to crime itself in the form of violence, rioting, and vandalism.

What you perceive as social media banter can have real costs and consequences. Perhaps it is time to set down our devices and engage people face to face. We are losing the ability to communicate with each other in a meaningful way and we are just plain becoming mean.

Consider diversifying the sources you receive news from. Have an adult conversation with someone who shares contrary opinions. These conversations can be learning experiences. Before you push the share button, do some research and confirm the so-called facts. You might be saving us all a lot of heartache.

——

Michael W. Tupper is the chief of the

Marshalltown Police Department.