Not so Glittery Twitter...

So. Today we were given the news that the @officialglitter account is not actually the real Gary Glitter. I can't say I completely surprised. I mean, we've established the guy is a vile member of the human race, but I don't think he's quite so witless as to open himself up to the wrath of Twitter users.

So, this begs the question, who did set up the Twitter account. Well, that little genius was someone called 'Ben' as I found out when I did a little digging and found his blog. It didn't take too long and I'm sure we'll hear more from him at some point. Anyway, he claims he set the account up as a social experiment to highlight the dangers of predatory paedophiles on social networking sites.

He says;

'I set this Twitter account up as a social experiment to highlight the dangers and safety of children using the social networking sites and to discover and question public morality,' 

Well, call me a pessimist, but it looks to me more like a case of a trying to gain a little bit of media coverage for not actually doing much. I mean, who of us doesn’t already know that the safety of children and the vulnerable is a problem on the internet? Most of the public realise there is an issue, and do their best to avoid it and stamp it out when it is encountered. There are even PROFESSIONALS working on solving this very dilemma with workable solutions. But, Twitter is a wonderful tool for engaging interesting and likeminded people, sharing information, encouraging freedoms. And, d'ya know what Ben? Most of the people who use it, and other similar sites, are not there to spy on children. I mean,  what does he suggest be done about it? Twitter is already regulated to a degree. But, unlike Ben, not all paedophiles announce themselves so loudly, all glitter and trumpets. That's generally not how predatory paedophiles work is it? All more regulation would do is restrict peoples freedom to share information, which, as we've seen in recent uprisings, is a vital lifeline, and something we should be trying to preserve (See SOPA/PIPA/ACTA). 

That, however didn’t stop people jumping on the bandwagon to support him, judging by the comments posted after his blog. Even Piers Morgan stepped up to congratulate the idiot. 'Very clever' apparently. Really. REALLY? Cos Piers Morgan of all people, is the one who's best to judge people's moral compass? He's not even that good at judging a bloody talent contest. Or even, while we're at it, working out which direction his own moral compass should be pointing.

The bloke who set up the account also quoted celebrities and other twitter users who'd made jokes about the decrepit idiot, vilifying them for making fun of a serious issue. A bit rich, I thought, coming from the one pretending to be that idiot!

All that aside, as I said this is a serious issue and not one anyone should take lightly. However, I think things like this are best left to the experts, and to those of us who use the internet as it was intended, as a tool for knowledge and good. Not jumped up little media whores.