The radical transformation of our planet since the birth of the Internet has been nothing short of phenomenal. Information on almost every available subject is available with the mere click of a mouse or swipe of a smartphone screen.

This easy access to information and data has a downside, as it has eroded the discipline of research, especially among youngsters. Additionally, it has lessened people’s appreciation for balance, and so we see many instances of individuals rushing to believe, without checking, all that they see posted on any of the various social media platforms.

The truth is that the Internet is both a great source of information and misinformation. If people are willing to acknowledge that truth, then maybe humans would be more inclined to make better use of the technology.

Certainly, there are many examples of how this advanced technology, including the immensely popular social media, can be used for good. But the instances of the technology being utilised for bad, evil, and downright despicable purposes are still too many.

Take, for instance, the callous sharing of photographs and videos of bloodied crash victims or people who have experienced some other misfortune. The fact that people get a thrill from these images shows the level of depravity to which some of us have sunk.

One of the latest manifestations of that kind of inhumane conduct was the subject of our lead story on Monday this week. It told of the distress unleashed by social media trolls on the parents of eight-year-old Kimora Whyte, who drowned last week in Epsom, St Mary.

The child was reported missing last week Monday afternoon after she attempted to cross a river during heavy rain. Her body was found in the sea near Annotto Bay in the parish by Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard Tuesday afternoon.

Early news reports had said the little girl had been on her way home when the tragedy occurred. Her aunt, Ms Joan Lyttle, told this newspaper that since Kimora’s death family members have been staying off social media because some people have been relentlessly posting ugly and hurtful comments, saying the incident was a result of careless parenting.

Ms Lyttle was reported as saying that the painful comments are informed by ignorance of the culture of the community, as children — after completing basic school and grade one at the primary level — are not normally escorted home by parents.

The community, Ms Lyttle explained, is free of violence, and residents are known to each other. Therefore, they all basically live without fear of being harmed by their neighbours.

Not many people in urban centres across the island are familiar with this type of communal living; therefore, they would have difficulty understanding the lifestyle of the residents of Epsom.

That, however, does not give them the right to castigate Kimora Whyte’s parents, and, certainly, the way they have gone about it is simply uncouth.

The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica has been running a very commendable advertising campaign across social media platforms appealing to people’s conscience to think about what they are posting, watching, and sharing on social media.

It is our hope that this campaign will be sustained and keep pace with the changing dynamics of the digital age. People need to keep in mind — as the ad campaign asks — “What if” the images they are watching, posting, and sharing were those of their relatives?