Fiach MacConghail (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am also not a member of the committee so I thank the Chairman for giving me an opportunity to speak. I commend the Minister on his impressive and reassuring handling and understanding of the area. He has signalled a way that the committee can address a few issues and we have seen his smoke signals clearly.

As someone who deals with and is on media at an ordinary human endeavour level, I can vouch that criticism does hurt whether it is anonymous or not. How politicians, parliamentarians or directors of national theatres can handle criticism posted on social media is something. I do not think that we are in a crisis. I heard the Minister say, and it is important, that we should develop a set of emerging best practice guidelines. He urged that the committee must be confident enough to address the issue from a point of strength and positivity. Social media is extraordinary, empowering, educational and a creative tool. I slightly disagree with Senator Healy Eames, not about the abuse, but that social media is an empowering tool for teenagers.

Yesterday, I attended the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht where three schools, one each from Indreabhán, Lucan and Cork made presentations as gaeilge because it was Seachtain na Gaeilge on the strengths and weaknesses of social media. They outlined the positive and empowering aspects of social media. It is extraordinary how social media develops human contact and opinions and elicits opinions from teenagers. It acts as a mediator for those relationships. According to those teenagers social media is not about the local but it is about the global world and being connected. Social media did not replace local communication but reduces their world.

The Minister may not be able to answer my question but perhaps one of his officials will. All of those teenagers put their criticism of ask.fm on the record. They cited it as being the one social media tool that had anonymity and all of us here have recognised that anonymity is a pervasive and negative element. Perhaps we should approach the anonymity of bullying and cyberbullying. Will the committee invite a representative of ask.fm to attend? Has the Minister been approached by ask.fm? Has his Department communicated with it in light of certain recent tragic scenarios and also, more importantly, on the issue of anonymity?