A prominent Hollywood actor, who probably shouldn't be named but whose name is James Franco, recently became the latest show business veteran to be accused of sexual harassment by a number of peers in the realm of acting.
The allegations (which he has denied) came to light in the aftermath of Franco's Golden Globe win for The Disaster Artist. They also came to light primarily through the medium of the social networking site Twitter.
This article is categorically not a slight on the admirable and necessary ''#MeToo' movement which has outed and shamed umpteen people of power thus far, nor is it in any way a defence of Franco. This article transcends sides by temporarily sitting on the fence and asking questions of the manner in which these allegations come to light.
Take a trip into your imagination for a moment, and imagine you had just won an award related to your field of work. You dressed up, you mingled with your colleagues in the same business and you earned the plaudits under the bright lights of whatever function room you and your peers had gathered in.
Following on from your win, a work colleague, without haste nor thought, used his or her social media platform to detail apparent wrongdoing on your part, particularly gross in nature. Whether or not what he or she said be true, your jaw will drop to the floor and the mud will stick on your face. This example is a small-scale scenario.
To be a well-known and celebrated member of the world of show business is an entirely different kettle of fish. These people, aside from being wealthy, are heroes, role models and inspirations to millions of people worldwide. And so, allegations made in a particular vein can be damning instantaneously.
The type of allegation? A cyber allegation, if you will. It has been seen several times since the dawning of the '#MeToo' campaign against violent and dangerous sexual harassers. The crux of this matter, however, is the fashion in which these allegations run their course.
Twitter, much like many other social networks, is a powerful tool in the modern world. But with great power comes great responsibility, and a simple message composed of very few characters can have a huge impact in a short timeframe.
The next sentence might perhaps be construed as insensitive or thoughtless (it isn't), which was my only worry in writing this article.
Alleged sexual harassers should not be accused sans evidence on social platforms.
The pressing of the 'tweet' button when the message contains strong accusations against an unsuspecting 'perpetrator' can all of a sudden turn everything nuclear.
The use of Twitter as a forum for discussion on various topics is absolutely wonderful and ever more useful, but the use of Twitter to instigate the policing of people who may or may not be sexual harassers is an abuse of the site's power.
We are a fast-moving generation fuelled by news and views but also with a penchant for outrage. Knee jerk reactions will become second nature if this is how such sensitive issues (or non-issues if that be the case) are aired out.
No matter the country, there are police and there are courts. We still live in an age where it's innocent until proven guilty, not innocent until being the much retweeted subject of a tweet several times.
This article neglects to detail anything surrounding the case of James Franco other than his name. Maybe even that is too much, and maybe it's hypocritical of me to even drop his name. But the accusers are not mentioned, nor are the ins and outs of the allegations against the actor.
I am treating it, for now, as though there was never a tweet typed about it, nor a raging response to it, because that is how it should remain until the relevant authorities flesh out the details and each side contributes their version of events. Privately.
The '#MeToo' movement has been hugely worthwhile and eye-opening thus far, but it runs the risk of losing direction if social media sites and their users become more dominant as its megaphone to the masses.
