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Social media is an incredible thing. It can help to raise awareness, or it can destroy a reputation. It can help someone in need, or kick someone when they're already down.
When Jayde Panayiotou, a young teacher from Port Elizabeth, went missing, it wasn’t only the police who searched for her. The hashtag #FindJayde trended on social media as all of South Africa became familiar with her face.
When Jayde's body was discovered by police, all of South Africa mourned with her family with the hashtag #RIPJayde.
When police released images of men wanted for questioning in relation to Jayde’s murder, South Africa spread these images all across social media so that everyone would know their faces.
And now, Jayde’s husband has been arrested, and the entire country seems to be expressing anger and horror that this man would murder his own wife.
There’s just one thing we seem to be forgetting: The meaning of the word "suspect".
All over social media, I have seen people declare these men guilty of murder, and suggest some proper medieval-style punishments be inflicted on them.
I am not, for a moment, going to declare these men innocent, but I think it’s still important to remember that there have been no trials yet, no evidence in court, and no convictions.
We don’t know that all three of these men are guilty. We don’t even know for sure if any of them are guilty. But we know their faces, and we associate them with murder.
I am not going to say this news shouldn’t have trended, or that we shouldn’t know who they are. I’m not going to say social media is bad.
Social media has helped South Africa recognise faces that, if we see them, we know to contact the police immediately. This can only be efficient and good.
But there’s a saying: "A lie can run around the world before truth can get its boots on". Never before has this saying been truer than in the social media age.
There’s another saying: "With great power comes great responsibility". Cheesy, I know, but relevant. Social media is powerful. Once, you could put out a message and it wouldn’t get far. Now, it can reach the whole world.
When you share these images, and talk about this crime, remember that there’s a huge difference between "suspected of guilt" and "guilty".
Remember that we have court system for a reason: It may not be perfect, but it’s better than mob rule. Remember that, under our law, a person is innocent until proven guilty.
It’s a small adjustment to make, but it is, I think, an important one.
