Do you jump on the online bandwagon?

In today’s increasingly digital world, we’re all just a scroll away from becoming potential keyboard warriors. Let's face it, it’s all too easy to jump on the bandwagon and interact with the first thing that pops up in our news feeds. But how often do we stop to question what we’re seeing? Is it real, or just cleverly designed to provoke a reaction?
Remember when Mark Zuckerberg introduced reactions on Facebook, encouraging us to go beyond the mindless ‘thumbs up’ for your reactions to content posted by friends, family and anyone else who managed to pop into your newsfeed, in order to encourage us all to engage more deeply with content? The goal was to drive ‘meaningful engagement’. Has it worked? I am not so sure it has ... many of us respond more with our gut than with our mind, who's got time to do more than a quick like or laugh reaction on most of the stuff in your feed, let alone a deep-dive into the fact checking required to see if what you're engaging with is the whole truth or not?
Take, for instance, the recent controversies at the Olympics, with allegations questioning the gender, qualifications, and pathways of some athletes. How many of us took the time to fact-check before hitting ‘share’ or leaving a comment? Who even has the time to do their due diligence on every piece of clickbait? The rise of AI-generated content and deepfakes makes it even harder to discern what’s genuine and what’s not.
The reality is, the subjects of these articles are real people, with real emotions. As we sit behind our screens, it’s easy to forget that our comments - no matter how insignificant they may seem - can have a profound impact on someone’s mental health. A real life person, what if that was someone you love on the receiving end? Would you want to know more about the context and if what you were reading / seeing online were the actual facts? Or would you just jump in with your first instinct, to hell with the effect it has on them or anyone else reading it? What if it was you on the receiving end? Would you take all the comments as constructive criticism, or would you take them to heart and get fired up and respond in your own defence?
This is part of the problem, cold hard text lacks the nuances and benefits of face-to-face communication. Our words, stripped of tone and context, can come across as harsher than intended. We're not all Shakespeare when it comes to penning well thought out scripts at the best of times, but when it's an emotive topic or it has hit a nerve and we're reacting from an emotional, rapid response, knee jerk type reaction, perhaps we are even less capable of conveying what we are trying to.
So, as we are deep into this digital landscape and way of communication and learning what's happening in our world, it’s worth asking ourselves: How can we be more discerning, thoughtful and kind before engaging online? How can we ensure our contributions are truly meaningful?
Pausing before we post, fact-checking where we can, and considering the human-being on the other side of the screen might be a great start. Add to this the fact that most of us get content shared or created by individuals online who quite possibly have none of the training and ethical commitments that trained journalists have, and what is the reliability of the sources we are getting our 'news' from?
This makes me reflect on one of the key principles I have learned during my years being #Rotarian. The Four-Way Test. Before we give in to that burning desire to add our voice to an online forum or conversation thread, it's probably THE BEST time to put the four-way test into practice. The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships, and in today's online world, it's perhaps even more pertinent!
Of the things we think, say or do (or, indeed type!)

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

If it doesn't pass the four-way test, does it need to be said? Does it need to shared with the online world?
Meaningful engagement isn’t just about being reactive; it’s about being considerate, informed, and respectful. There's been a big kindness push online too, yet we still see vicious words on a consistent basis in our social media threads, how are we ever to influence the younger generation to be kinder and thwart the online bullying that seems to be rampant among our young people when some adults can't even hold their typing fingers back from making snide and nasty comments on content they don't like?
Perhaps, instead of engaging in heated debates online, we could bring conversations back to real life - where empathy and understanding are far easier to convey?
As we navigate this digital landscape, let’s strive to be more than just reactive online. Let’s aim to be thoughtful digital citizens who contribute to a more compassionate and informed online community. Before you post, pause and reflect: Is it true? Is it fair? Will it build goodwill? Will it be beneficial?
Remember, behind every screen is a real person with real emotions. A simple act of kindness, a moment of reflection, and a commitment to meaningful engagement can make all the difference—not just online, but in our wider communities as well. Let’s choose to make our words matter, fostering a culture of respect and understanding in every interaction, both online and in real life.