MILKING HUMAN KINDNESS

False reports of missing people are being used to spread divisive rhetoric on social media by milking the spirit of human kindness and genuine sympathy for those in anguish.

Reports about human trafficking have trended heavily on social media in South Africa recently. #HumanTrafficking was the second most popular hashtag on Twitter last month, featuring in more than 75 000 tweets.

Tweets about missing people are closely linked to the human trafficking conversation – both leverage the power of social media to spread awareness about men, women and children who have gone