My writing journey . . .Hello, again readers!
Following on from my post yesterday about websleuths and their involvement in the Jay Slater case, I’ve stumbled upon a fascinating phenomenon. It seems that websleuths gravitate to certain platforms and tend to look down on those using others. I don’t know about you, but I find this both entertaining and intriguing.
We’re all familiar with the various social media sites, from Reddit to Twitter (or X, as it’s now known) to Facebook, and how each has its unique flavour. But what’s truly interesting is the hierarchy of websleuths that has emerged.
Let’s start with Reddit. Users here often see themselves as the elite sleuths, the crème de la crème of online investigators. There are countless comments about people “conducting investigations,” and some even claim (though who knows if it’s true) to have “interviewed key contacts” and passed this information to the Spanish police. Now, I’m not so naive as to believe all of these posts, and frankly, if I were the Spanish police, I’d be less than thrilled to receive amateur interview transcripts from Redditors. What’s also fascinating is how Reddit users disparage those on Facebook who are trying to do the same thing. Comments like “Facebook users need to stop, they’re complicating the investigation” and “We don’t need amateurs muddying the waters” are common. It’s as if to comment on a Reddit missing persons post, you need some sort of “online investigator credentials.”
Yes, I’m aware of the “Don’t F*** with Cats” story, where Reddit played a significant role in solving the case, but I’m still sceptical about what qualifies someone as a “premier websleuth” versus others on different platforms.
Next, let’s turn to those conducting their investigations via Snapchat and Instagram. It must be a strange time to be on holiday in Tenerife, as hordes of armchair detectives are scouring Snapchat and Instagram maps, trawling through friends’ lists, and trying to find anyone loosely connected to the story or those who might have been in the same place where Jay went missing. This has even led to people creating fake accounts with names they expect others to look for, just to spread misinformation (though why someone on holiday would bother to do this is beyond me).
Then there’s TikTok, where something equally curious is happening. Yes, there are loads of videos about the story and people’s theories, but what’s odd is the number of people trying to gain traction by announcing, “I’ve met up with X contact, we’re going live in an hour,” or “Latest update at X time.” I’m not sure if these folks genuinely believe they’re helping or are just trying to rack up views.
Finally, we have Facebook, where it seems like the world has gone mad. People are sharing what they think is helpful information or suggestions on what could be done. For example, those using Google Street View claim to have found something, forgetting that Google Street View isn’t a live feed, or those suggesting water should be left by the roadside to “tempt Jay out of the bushes.” I don’t doubt these people are well-meaning, but it’s as if they’ve lost all sense of reality (which might explain why Redditors look down on them).
This leads me to ponder: is there really a hierarchy of websleuths? Are they genuinely working to solve the mystery, or are they simply seeking attention? And more importantly, what would these websleuths have done before the internet and social media? How would they have conducted their investigations and connected with like-minded people?
What do you think, dear readers?
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