Panic button

Without wishing to make light of what is happening in West Africa, I really wish people would inform themselves first before getting all panicky about the Ebola virus. But then again, I think that there are those who secretly enjoy the frisson of excitement they experience every time there is something they can panic about. 

It happened with Bird Flu and then the Swine Flu as well, remember?

I’m not saying don’t take precautions (you know, like avoiding contact with the bodily fluids of someone infected with Ebola) but getting all worked up by sharing gruesome photos and lurid tabloid headlines which turn out to be false is not solving anything.

As much as I have often extolled the benefits of Facebook, it is times like this I wish it had never been invented because the spread of gross misinformation makes you want to search for the nearest wall to engage in a bout of head banging.

Maybe it’s also because I am the type of person who doesn’t believe in wringing my hands and wailing about what might happen but prefer dealing with the here and now. So many things might happen to us - if we had to sit around and ponder all the possibilities of the dangers that lurk around every corner, we would tie ourselves up in knots of anxiety, sick with worry, and turn into agoraphobics who are afraid to leave the house. Or else hypochondriacs who are convinced that every little ache and pain is the sign of something fatal. That is not a way to live.

It’s not just the possibility of an incurable disease that people get all hysterical about either, it’s also real situations which they inflate and make even worse because rather than being practical and referring to the correct professional sources, they turn to FB for their guiding light.

I have seen people post questions about their children’s health, for example, leading to the inevitable ensuing comments and “advice” from other parents who recount their own experiences. It is the virtual equivalent of the corner shop where people used to compare notes about their kids’ coughs and sniffles with everyone trying to “outdo” each other about what the best remedy is. Uhm, call me old-fashioned, but shouldn’t you call your pediatrician if your child is sick?

Another story which is giving rise to all sorts of agitation is the spate of robberies, particularly in Sliema. This is a very real concern, of course, especially to elderly people who live alone, but rather than using common sense, people persist in giving away too much of their comings and goings, particularly via social media.

By now it has already been established that this is a very well-organized gang of thieves who are watching neighbourhoods with a keen eye, noting who lives alone, who has valuables in the house and the exact time that the residence will be empty.

Rather than going on and on about how “our Malta is no longer safe any more” (which is not getting us anywhere), maybe we should all try to be more vigilant about what we divulge to strangers, both in the real world and more importantly on FB.  

Keeping an eye out in your street for suspicious behaviour and speaking regularly to your neighbours to bring back that sense of community spirit is the kind of pragmatic measure all of us can take.  Be careful who you let into your home whether it’s workmen, deliverymen or domestic help (yes, it’s come to that, unfortunately, because whoever is involved is scouting potential targets very carefully). 

In this kind of very real scenario happening right under our nose, what is required are concrete steps because panic, whining, finger-pointing at immigrants and getting ourselves worked up into a tizzy are not solving anything.  

Most of all, please stop publicizing your every move on Facebook. If I were so inclined, I could easily come up with a pretty accurate picture of what certain people’s daily routine is like (and these are not people I know, but those who are friends of friends because their profile is public so their activity still comes up on my newsfeed when a mutual friend clicks “like”). 

Photos will tell me how many people are in your household, your personal information will tell me exactly where you live, status updates will tell me every time you leave the house or are on holiday, and your persistent posting of your lifestyle will give me a clear indication of your financial situation.  

And if you don’t believe me, just take a look at this video which was produced in Belgium and which was brought to my attention recently. It is a real eye-opener.