Well it comes as no surprise anymore that Bahamians are more gullible than we ever thought, and with the advent of the mobile messaging application WhatsApp more and more we are getting to witness this first hand.
Now that WhatsApp allows communication via text, audio, video and voice, what was once meant for good is now being used as a vehicle for malicious gossip and half truths. These frivolous messages not only have been the cause of mass hysteria (refer to the thousands of Bahamians who thought gas was running out in the country post Hurricane Matthew) but also used to cause unfounded truths to be spread very quickly.
Case & Point:
The Wedding of Alfred and Rikkia, which spread like wildfire over the weekend accusing the couple of participating in an illegal marriage of the same sex (here in The Bahamas). Now at 1st glance (with one eye closed and a sheet across your face) The groom could have been mistaken to be what some may call a ‘Butch” woman, but this is not the point. The point is the image was shared and squawk at with no proof of the legitimacy of the story other than it came over the most reliable news source in the country; WhatsApp. *sarcasm in case you don’t pick up on it*
I wondered are Bahamians really this bored with life, that things this trivial excite their day so much that they have to stop and share it with every single person in their phone’s contact list.
I mean who knows how this would affect the couple in question. Fortunately I hope it has a better effect on the thousands that shared the photo who after watching the local news last night are slowly taking their feet out of their mouths and contemplating some degree of discretion when sharing such things.
If we can all take something away from this situation is that we all need to mind our own business a little bit more and allow others to be happy on their own terms.
-elife242