Faceless online cowards who are incapable of being kind | Simon Carter

‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’ – they were the words Flack wrote on Instagram last December.

As a result, the hashtag #BeKind was quickly adopted by tens of thousands of Twitter users. While some will take the sentiment on board, I bet a hell of a lot of social media users wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

Hiding behind an avatar and answerable to no-one, bound by no legislation – unlike the national media, don’t forget – why would they?

No, the keyboard warriors will continue to wage war on those they don’t agree with, the trolls will continue to troll, the cyber stalkers continue to stalk, the online bullies will bully.

That is a negative view of social media, granted, but it is also a depressingly accurate one. I remain unconvinced the internet and social media have given our society more than they have ripped away. It’s snatched our children’s innocence, decimated our high streets, and introduced many new ways to make a person’s life far more miserable.

#BeKind? You must be joking. Look at some of the replies posted on this paper’s Facebook site last week.Remember the story about travellers setting up camp in a Portsmouth car park? You can imagine some of the comments on that one…

The story about a Portsmouth student tower block leaking after recent storms brought little sympathy from some readers. One hoped it got worse. And a story about homeless people being offered shelter brought the comment that ‘being a tramp is a lifestyle choice.’

Though the post attracted far more criticism than praise, the fact remains our society is incapable of taking #BeKind on board. Too many faceless cowards revelling in a cloak of anonymity, their fingers dancing merrily over a keyboard tapping out poison.

Welcome to UK2020, where a celebrity is being mourned but many people will never take notice of the 10 words she should be remembered for…

A return to books gives us a glimmer of hope

But out of the darkness, there is hope. Three huge cheers – seriously, really loud ones – for The Beauty Retreat in Portsmouth for throwing away their gossip magazines.

Posting on social media, they wrote: ‘With the devastatingly horrendous news about Caroline Flack we will not be promoting these magazines that troll people, put people down, advertise people’s personal issues, criticise people’s outfits… the list goes on. #bekind.

‘We will be replacing them with good old-fashioned books, informative educational magazines.’

This country’s infatuation with celebrity culture has helped fuel the worst aspects of social media, so hopefully others will follow suit.

Turgid heavy metal should vanish up its own black hole

I am a sucker for a good heavy metal press release. Last week it was Thulcandra, but today I pay homage to Liverpool three-piece Conan for possibly the best one I’ve ever read.

Issued to promote a forthcoming tour, I quote: ‘Conan are as heavy as interplanetary thunder amplified through the roaring black hole anus of Azathoth. Remember that sentence, for it is writ large in virgin blood on the walls of the forgotten temple of Bol-Krastor, deep in the steaming forests of forgotten Lemuria.‘Two weary yet defiant men have the task of vocalising wretched thoughts over the turgid weight of Conan‘s metalized bombast. They bear it well, for the task is immense.’ Crikey!