Fraudulent Internet Sleuths Jeopardize the Process of Justice
January 27, 2023
There was a social media post with over two million likes claiming The Mona Lisa had been stolen.
Quickly, thousands of people believed the post, but, in the end, that post was fake.
There is a fine line between illusion and reality, especially when it comes to social media, and if you are someone who is always on the internet chances are you are caught between the two.
Just like the fake art heist, the ‘Idaho Murders’ story blew up and became a spectacle on social media.
Murder is a serious and tragic topic yet with the influence of social media, it can be reduced to a game of solving true crime.
People see details of cases on social media and want to play Sherlock Holmes but they ignore the tragedy and horror of the cases, leaving behind their empathy for the victims.
True crime is a growing phenomenon and with the addition of technology and advanced social networking, is increasingly alluring everyday.
“I just like to follow along… it’s interesting to see all these different facts connect,” said Junior Melissa Toric.
Yet the reason for its allure may be because the stories are embellished or created for the sole purpose to get views.
Junior Juliet Hudgens said social media will post certain facts to “get a good story or get more views.”
Because social media is not an official news source, details are not regulated or fact checked making it dangerous to trust.
“You can make up anything and put it on social media, but the news has to have a valid story,” said Hudgins.
Compared to social media posts, news stations will always give the exact story with only 100 percent true facts.
“News anchors have to produce real information, real facts, whereas social media, you’re just doing it for fun,” said Hudgins.
Like the ‘Idaho Murders’ story trending on TikTok, events are more “twisted and dramatic,” compared to official news, said Junior Jesus Laguna Davis.
Yet so many people enjoy watching the story unfold on social media rather than the news.
Junior Gavin Mitchell said, “TikTok is more entertaining” than the news.
People are naturally drawn to the gore of true crime which is why stories are often embellished and news sites are ignored.
Because of this, the Idaho murders have been exaggerated and blown out of proportion, thus making people more careless about true and false stories everyday.
So while the Idaho Murders are a true story, everyone should be more mindful of the true facts and the severity of them instead of getting lost in the game of true crime.
