With freedom of expression comes responsibility

So much hatred for the King, it made her puke

Funny girl, this Melissa Gooi. She wrote on Facebook how she puked just listening to the King, and then, when what she wrote went viral on other people's Facebook, she conveniently deleted her own Facebook account.

Poof! Just like that!

She thinks it's okay to insult someone (and the King pulak tu!), and when being found out, she thinks it's okay to just delete what she wrote and then everything will be alright. Oh girl... Terlajak perahu, boleh undur. Terlajak kata? (Kan dah kena tangkap...)

But Melissa Gooi is not alone. There are many out there who think that it's just so safe to say anything on Facebook. After all, it's freedom of expression kan? What people often forget is that with the freedom of expression comes responsibility. If you are daring enough to say something, you must be daring enough to take responsibility for whatever that you have said.

Ntah lah.. maybe sebab I'm a trained journo.. and I know that I could be sued for everything that I write in the papers. Even worse, if I were to write something or defame someone in the papers today, the person whom I had defamed has 6 years to sue me for my writing. Six freaking years! Now that is print journalism for you. That is why (most) journos are more careful before letting their stories go to print.

But now, Facebook is a different story altogether. I have seen friends showing their emotions on Facebook. Some lament about being single. Some bitch about bosses, ex husbands, ex boyfriends and the current Government. Some openly said that if anyone is unhappy about being in Malaysia, they should just leave the country. Heck, I have seen friends who even questioned the Rukun Negara.

Perhaps, they think it's okay to "speak out" kat Facebook. After all, who would remember what you posted last week kan? Wrong! Smartphones have printscreen features. Your status, your pictures and your comments can be "captured" and stored. Worst, the captured screen could be emailed / whatsapped / mms-ed to just about anybody.

Oh well. I hope Melissa's story becomes a lesson for all. I hope my friends would think a few times before posting something on Facebook. Sometimes, we have to do self-censorship. Before posting something on the web, think of the implications and the repercussions of your words.

Best is to just write fun, happy stuff on Facebook. Talk about the food you ate, or the cat who snuggled at your feet. Share your favorite songs, videos or news clippings. Sharing of knowledge (on Islam, science, economics etc) lagi bagus. Dapat pahala lagi, sebab dalam Islam, memang digalakkan berkongsi ilmu.

Best to keep your angry, emotional comments to yourself. Facebook, blogs, twitter, keek, instagram etc should be handled with care. There is no such thing as "private" space in cyberspace. When you share something on Facebook, twitter, blogs etc, you have to be prepared that those things could be posted elsewhere.

The pictures or comments you posted on Facebook a few minutes ago, could be shared in someone else's blog, twitter, Facebook etc. So, if you are prepared to post things on the various websites, you must be prepared to take responsibility for your postings.

Hah! The crab (I'm a Cancerian) has spoken. Now it's time to go back in my shell and keep my thoughts to myself. Heheh. Selamat menyambut Isra' Mi'raj semua... xoxo.

ps./ I puasa today.. so Geng Tulip, jom keluar berbuka puasa together today? ;) 

My boss told me hari tu that some people in my company even post pictures of their payslips on Facebook. What were they thinking? Sheeeshhh..