n&d 1/1/16

Do you stand by, or stand out from the crowd?

David Shariatmadari
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/06/bystander-stand-out-crowd-intervene-help

Increasingly we find ourselves in crowds – making our way through cities, flying between them, joining in discussion and argument on the internet. Ironically, these crowds, each one a mass of humanity, can feel like the least human force on Earth. Perhaps from time to time we can try to be among the faces that stand out.

 Researchers at UCLA set up a fake Facebook profile in which a “mean” comment was posted under a range of different status updates, such as “I hate it when you miss someone like crazy and you think they might not miss you back”. In each case, the “mean” riposte was: “Who cares! This is why nobody likes you …” Most subjects agreed that this constituted bullying, and many said that they would be likely to intervene – either by challenging the comment or sending a private message of support. Interestingly, there was less sympathy when the original message was more personal, suggesting that people who “overshared” might be seen as bringing criticism on themselves.

To a certain extent this article employs the idea that we are more likely to rebuke offensive criticism on-line rather than in real life. it makes you question how far you would go for redemption.

The #BringBackOurGirls of 2016: what will dominate Africa's Twittersphere this year?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/04/africa-twitter-predictions-2016-hashtags-bringbackourgirls

Where were you when #PopeBars started trending, in tribute to Pope Francis throwing hip-hop shapes in the Central African Republic?

How did #BeingFemaleInNigeria help you to understand modern misogyny? And where do you stand on the heated #JollofDebate – is it from Ghana, Nigeria or elsewhere?

From #BringBackOurGirls which, on 6 December, marked 600 days since the schoolgirls of Chibok were abducted by Boko Haram, to #WhatWouldMagufuliDo, a tribute to the newly-elected Tanzanian president’s “revolutionary” commitment to cutting wasteful government spending, looking back at popular hashtags offers a useful overview on how the big events of the year played out online.

“If African Twitter was a bar then the year 2015 would have been one of those memorable nights out,” YesiYesighana said. “Noisy drinkers would be eating jollof while debating xenophobia, everyday sexism and everything in between.