Everyone is Watching

If you have logged in with any of your social media networks, you know the Grand Jury decision on the Mike Brown case. Everyone was tweeting their opinions and news updates about the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri. Social media allows everyone to have instant access to any information they want.

Many of the tweets and posts last night expressed the despair and disappointment of the users everywhere when it was announced that the Grand Jury decided to not charge Officer Darren Wilson. Although most of the posts were geared toward the decision, a single tweet from a local TV station caused thousands of users to reply in disgust and anger.

This tweet and the announced decision is a bad combination. The rioting in the streets in Ferguson and all around the country is an explosion of emotions and opinions, and this tweet seems extremely disrespectful of the Brown family. After the criticism, Channel 9 responded by deleting the original message and posting two additional tweets apologizing for the insensitivity.

The importance of thinking before you speak is exponentially higher when you post something onto social media. Once a post is published, it's too late to completely delete it. Someone has already seen it, shared it, taken a picture of it and told everyone else about it. Everyone is watching you and one wrong move can cause immediate reaction in this real-time world.