UNCC300 Civil Law: Social Media's Role in Spreading Hatred

This essay critically analyzes how social media platforms, initially intended to foster awareness and brotherhood, have instead contributed to the spread of anger, hatred, and misinformation, thereby undermining shared responsibility for the common good. It discusses the proliferation of fake news and its role in creating disputes and division, advocating for strategies such as improved policing of false information, third-party fact-checking, government regulation, and the use of social media itself to combat these issues. The essay emphasizes the need for punitive measures against those spreading false information and suggests literacy programs to educate users about unreliable sources, ultimately aiming to restore a sense of brotherhood and responsibility in the digital age. Desklib provides a platform to access this essay and other resources for students.

Running head: CIVIL LAW
Civil Law
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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This paper strives to present an analysis and critical appraisal of shared responsibility for
the common good not being realised in using social media to express promote or spread anger
and hatred. Social media is one of the most popular forms of media in this world. It has
recently gained an ample amount of fame over the last decade. The main aim of using social
media was to make people aware of what has been occurring in the in their surroundings. To
awaken them to fight the social evils and inculcate in them a sense to fraternity. This paper
will discuss the failure of social media to achieve the shared responsibility of common good.
The social media has the sole responsibility to make people aware of the happenings in
their surroundings. It was previously introduced to connect people of different localities,
countries or communities. This connection was aimed to create a sense of brotherhood. It was
also used as a tool to awaken the emotions of the individuals to join a movement striving to
eradicate the social evils and political oppressions that have been happening in the world.
However, the same was initially inculcated, but it gradually took an aggravated form. The
social media inculcated a tint of violence among the people of the world. The now awakened
and aware public has took asylum in violence, hatred and rage (Byron & William, 2004).
The submission to violence, hatred and rage was previously spreading against the social
and political evils. Afterwards, the social media has initiated a trend of bringing up fake news
and fabricated stories. This has made a serious gap between the reality and the concept
developed in the minds of the individuals. The individuals has based their opinions on fake
and faulty information. This has made the world to indulge into disputes, which are driven by
falsity and deception. The responsibility of common good that should be shared by the
individuals has failed drastically (Rowlands & Anna, 2013).
This conflicts and disputes that has been prevalent by virtue of the virtual concepts created
by the social media has been creating a sense of destruction and despise among the people of

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the world. The sense of brotherhood has been disrupted by the ambience of hatred and rage
created by the social media. The regulation of this burning hatred needs to be resolved to
make the world liveable for the upcoming generation. The brotherhood amongst the people of
the world needs to be restored. The following paragraphs will strive to address the situation
that has been created by the use of the social media and will seek to provide for the ways
available to combat the same (Devitt & Catherine 2016).
There has been several discussions prevailing worldwide striving to address the problem
created by the social media. The situation demands for ways to combat these issues relating
to the social media. However, a handful of remedies have been still discovered to address this
problem. Strategies ensuring better control over the actors of creating such falsity needs to be
adopted. The actors spreading false knowledge in the social media keep such
misrepresentation expressed as a transparent disguise. The proper policing of such actors
needs to be ensured. Improved systems needs to be should be introduced to for the
individuals using the social media to report the news or information that are suspicious or is
likely to be false. This will provide the individuals who are aware of the information that has
been misrepresented with a way to share their suspicion to make other individuals from
believing the fake information (Gottemoeller & Doris 2015).
There must be third party associations who can evaluate the information that has been
made available by an individual. These associations must be set up to examine the
information and test its falsity. The associations must use different sources to back up their
suspicion regarding the false information made available. The association must share their
report regarding the fake information with the individuals who are in the verge of basing their
concept on the same. The third parties need to analyse the information with reference to
proper sources. The report must contain the accurate reasons for rendering such information
to be false.

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The users of the social media whose concepts are targeted by such false and fake
information must be provided with an option for checking the validity of the information. The
must be supplied with a source form where it can verify the facts that have been discovered
from the social media. A source providing a detailed report on the information they seek to
verify must be made available to the individuals. This will enable the individuals to verify the
information depending upon which he is going to form his opinion. An informed decision
will be inculcated among the individuals who use the social media to gather knowledge to
develop a decision about a particular topic (Mele, 2009).
The Governments or other authorities possessing power in this regard must seek to resolve
this menace by implementation of various regulatory and punitive measures to address this
situation. Every information and facts made available by the individuals must be analysed by
the bodies set up by the Government. The validity of the information and the source form
which it is made available must be scrutinised by the agents of the Government empowered
to address these. Every content must be examined under strict observation by such agents
before it could be made available to the users of the social media. The source from which it
was initiated must be assessed before allowing it to be accessible by general public.
Moreover, a strong control does always be effective if it is not backed with punitive
measures. Various punishments, fines and penalties must be imposed upon the individuals
spreading the false information. The wrong doers in this regard must be subjected to stringent
rules. The government must strive to address these situations with the formation and
implementation of laws relating to the same. Separate tribunals and corrective centres must
be developed to address issues arising from such false information.
The false and fake information made available via social media needs to be corrected
using the social media only. The social media itself should strive to combat the issues that has
been initiated by use of social media. The authorities entrusted with the function of removing

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falsity from the social media must strive to remove the evils of the same through the social
media only. The people who are being influenced by the falsity prevailing over the social
media must be made aware about the same through the social media. Articles and posts
regarding the false information that prevails in the social media must be posted in the social
media. The users of the social media has a fair chance of coming across the same. This will
make them aware of the misrepresentation that has been occurring in the social media. The
authentic sources must be made available to the users of the social media to obtain the true
information. They must be made aware of the sources which are unreliable and are likely to
mislead. Different literacy programmes about the same must initiated to educate people about
the falsity that has been created in the social media by some unreliable sources.

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References
Byron, William, Framing Principles of Catholic Social Thought, 2004, pp.10-15.
Rowlands, Anna, Catholic Social Teaching: Not-so-secret anymore? (2013).
Devitt, Catherine, Justice in the Global Economy: What It Means for Earth-Care, 11
December 2016, Environment, Economics.
Gottemoeller, Sr. Doris, Advocacy as an Expression of Charity, March-April 2015.
Mele, D., Integrating Personalism into Virtue-Based Business Ethics: The Personalist and the
Common Good Principles, Journal of Business Ethics (2009) 88:227-244.