I am not a Social Media addict because I grew up in a world where communication was mainly face to face. At best we wrote letters and notes if we didn’t want to have any direct communication. And as for a telephone, we didn’t have one at home till I was 21!
Despite this, I knew exactly what I should know about was happening in my friends’ lives . I also knew the gory details of what was happening in the world through newspapers and radio broadcasts which I heard just once a day . Yes we didn’t have television either.
And perhaps because of this limited form of engagement with the outside world , we were less bombarded with Fake News. Of course there was fake news . But we called it gossip or rumour mongering .
Most of us however, have been dragged into this technological age, and many people my age have also embraced social media if for nothing else, to re-connect with school friends or old acquaintances and also children who otherwise refuse to communicate directly with you.
This morning I saw this message on my school WhatsApp group
This phenomenon is known as Moon Hunter and occurs when
The earth axis changes. The moon and the sun are born at the same time and the moon reflects the brightness of the sun with such intensity that it looks like another sun.
Share! So beautiful !!!
I immediately spotted it as a fake because this very same item was shared on this very same school group a few years ago . And even at that time, it was pointed out as being fake news .
But fake news doesn’t stop. In fact, it is even more rampant when times are bad .
Like last night I got a message that was an advisory
Advisory for Flats / Homes :
With the COVID spreading like wildfire all over, some of these multi story colonies found that people were getting infected in blocks one or two stories above or below while there had been no contact at all between these people….. including usage of lifts etc.
Few doctors analysed this problem and identified the common sewage lines which run up and down in these complexes. As you are aware, the faeces ejection has a high viral load, however the problem can be mitigated to a large extent by keeping your WCs flaps closed throughout the day, and more importantly, when used, the flap MUST be closed before flushing WC.
You may consider sharing this with your Colony Secy/ Family / Friends for issuing advisories to all residents.
Understand from a UK friend this has been talked about in the West too. Better to follow this protocol.
Now all along we’ve been told that the virus was airborne so it would hardly seem likely to be transmitted through sewage pipes .
Besides, if viruses are transmitted through sewage pipes, then wouldn’t all viral infections be transmitted this way?
So , I asked my friend who sent me this message, how does one dispose of fecal matter individually?
Does it mean that our traditional method of going out into the fields is the best ?
Think about it .
Every day, we have to deal with items of ‘interest’ or ‘information’ sent by well intentioned people on Twitter, Facebook, Instgram, WhatsApp, email and of course the newspapers and the internet.
To keep one’s sanity, it is imperative we don’t fall prey to either reading/listening to or broadcasting fake news.
Ciao,
Twenty- five Seven 
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