The big story this week is about a lethal drinking
game called “Neknomination” which has gone viral. The rules of this game are
simple: you film yourself downing an
alcoholic drink (usually in large quantities) and then nominate a friend to
outdo you. You must also post a video of this on social media. Currently, this
game has killed at least five men under the age of 30.
The main question that
seems to be the “hot button” is who is responsible? People are suggesting that
sites being used to distribute this game, such as Facebook, should take
ownership and recognize their role in this game. Facebook has of course already
issued a statement saying they do not tolerate content that causes direct harm
but also does not find certain behaviors against their rules. I am not sure
what YouTube has decided to do yet. It appears that people are targeting Facebook
and place blame on this social media giant more than others and are not
consistent in their criticisms.
I am wondering this: If
an individual is old enough to drink alcohol (21+), they are considered an adult.
So is this adult not the one who should be responsible for deciding to play the
game or not? Also (I am just looking at this from my point of view), I would
NEVER post a video of myself drinking on a social media site. Sharing content
like that would most likely damage any personal and professional opportunities I
may have in the future. Once something goes online, it is always out there.
Just because you delete it, doesn’t mean it’s deleted. We all know this by now….it’s
called a digital footprint….. Am I the only thinking about that?
While I do think that
the sites being used to distribute content about the game should address the
issue, I don’t think they are directly responsible for people’s actions. However,
to avoid any further bad PR drama, they might want to consider removing the
videos. One can only hope that this game fizzles out quickly.
I agree that if the individuals taking part in these challenges are of legal drinking age, then they should be treated as adults with the ability to make their own decisions. The notion that Facebook should be considered responsible is a little much for me, but I do believe that the placement of advertisements next to these videos could be harmful to the brands being promoted. Hopefully this game will fade soon.
ReplyDeleteI did not even consider what the ad companies would be thinking. Nice point !
ReplyDelete