On Social Media There Are Only Heroes and Villains

As a medium, the Internet struggles when dealing with some of the more complex concepts in society, like death, chronic illness and empathy. Social media users seem permanently ready to gleefully destroy someone, as much as they are permanently ready to offer support. Unfortunately, that support is often abused.

One story that recently had social media in a twist was that of Garnett Spears, a child that was allegedly poisoned by his mother. In the wake of the story, many began to charge that she had intentionally kept her child sick to get attention on social media.