By Michelle McIntosh
The Scene staff
Most people today use some form of social media, whether it’s Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or Tumblr.
It’s a great way to keep in contact with friends and family in different parts of the country or world.
Social media can be used to distribute information. In the case of an abduction, a tweet could alert the public and insure a child’s safe return.
Businesses use Facebook to sell products. College students use it to reach fellow classmates and get assignments.
Unfortunately, there’s a downside. Predators have easier access to children who use social media. Kids can be lured into meeting them somewhere away from home.
You also hear stories of young girls “dating” men on Facebook or Myspace, thinking they are close in age and agreeing to rendezvous. Sadly, some of these situations end with abductions, rapes or murders.
Another downfall of social media is that it’s used as a tool in bullying. Kids have bulled others into depression, even causing victims to commit suicide.
I had the misfortune of finding out a loved one had died through social media, before hearing it from family and friends.
I decided to check my Facebook account on April 21, when The Scene staff was returning from a college newspaper conference in Joplin, Mo.
To my surprise, I read a post from one of my cousins stating:
“R.i.P. to my best friend. & brother.. Who was Bigger than life… always there for you… Will be so sadly missed…. But never ever be forgotten.. Mel Gianino.”
I prayed that this was some sick joke, then I went to Mel’s Facebook page and discovered it was true.
I had worked for this man and loved him like an uncle. I was five hours away from home, and although I was in a van full of people, I felt lost and alone.
I called Mel’s brother to find out what happened. My cousin had been diagnosed two weeks prior with Stage 4 cancer, but he didn’t tell any of us.
I like Facebook for many reasons, but this was not the way to find out about a death in the family. I did some research and learned that such tragedy is not uncommon.
The parents of Jasmine Benjamin, a nursing student in Georgia, discovered their 17-year-old daughter had died in a campus study hall through Facebook. Her friends had posted “in memory” comments on her page.
Losing a child is devastating, but to find out on a social media site before the school has contacted you is even worse.
Part of me has wished I could go back to pre-social media days, and now it’s on my mind even more.
I allow my daughter to have a Facebook account with the understandng that she has to stay friends with me, and I know her login information.
She is 10 years old, and I check her account daily to make sure nothing strange is happening. But if I close my account out she will have to do the same, and most of her dad’s family lives in Tennessee. Yes, social media has good features, but also bad ones. People tend to put more private information online without thinking of the consequences and who it might affect.
My advice to everyone who uses social media: Be careful what you post; someone may not know yet.