In the age of social media, discerning truth from deception has become a daunting task, even for the most astute among us. With edited photos and a flood of theories — many from less-than-reputable sources — about the events of the day, the digital landscape can be treacherous place for a novice. For young users, the consequences of a single post can be monumental.
It's vitally important to discuss the downsides of social media with one's children before they open accounts, and to help them understand the need for critical thinking. It's easy for a young person to hit send, because they can't understand the horrific impact one post can have on a stranger many miles away.
Often, the wisest move is to decide not to share.
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey faced significant backlash for her role in 2012 in spreading a conspiracy theory at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Her apology via social media on Thursday highlights the complexities of living in a digital era and participating in discussions online about such sensitive events. Rousey has painfully learned that lesson 12 years on from the day she pushed send on a post advancing a conspiracy theory about the murders of children.
Before we get into it, another reminder: It's never too late to do the right thing.
Clearly, the right thing for Rousey, the one-time Olympic medalist, the former UFC champion and ex-WWE superstar, was to apologize for sharing a conspiracy theory video in 2012 about the tragic mass shooting and murders at Sandy Hook.
In 2012, first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., as well as six educators, were murdered in one of the most vile mass shootings in U.S. history.
Crackpot conspiracy theories about the shootings quickly emerged online, suggesting among other things that it was a hoax and that the persons involved were actors. Rousey saw one of those videos online, and shared it.
Nothing can compare to the pain of losing a child, which Rousey undoubtedly understands better today than she did in 2012 now that she herself became a mother in 2021.
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 23, 2024
As families and loved ones of the victims grieved, the spread of conspiracy theories online added to their suffering, compounding the pain experienced by the survivors.
Families of the survivors sued Alex Jones of Infowars for promoting such idiocy, and they've won $1.4 billion in damages against him. None of that money will bring back their loved one, but at least it might help prevent someone else from espousing such hate following a future tragedy.
Rousey's role in this was small, but shouldn't be minimized. During an AMA on Reddit on Wednesday, she discovered just how hurtful her comments were to others.
Her AMA -- Ask Me Anything -- was inundated with comments roasting her for her role, however, small, in perpetuating the conspiracy theory.
That led to her on Thursday release a post on social media in which she emotionally apologized.
"But eleven years ago, I made the single most regrettable decision of my life," she wrote. "I watched a Sandy Hook conspiracy video and reposted it on twitter. I didn't even believe it, but was so grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead. I quickly realized my mistake and took it down, but the damage was done."
She said she agonized over apologizing many times since, but did not do so because she did not want to call more attention to her comments and further the pain of the survivors.
"So I convinced myself that apologizing would just reopen the wound for no other reason than me selfishly trying to make myself feel better, that I would hurt those suffering even more and possibly lead more people down the black hole of conspiracy bullshit by it being brought up again just so I could try to shake the label of being a "Sandy Hook truther"," she wrote.
She added, "I deserve to be hated, labeled, detested, resented and worse for it."
In sharing that video, which she later deleted, Rousey only played a tiny role in what is a massive problem in this country.
Her apology should be accepted and respected, while acknowledging that a few words on social media are not enough. At the end of the day, it's about them and not her.
She should do something to help those who are still suffering. Nothing can take back the hurt and pain she caused the loved ones of the Sandy Hook victims, but she can use her platform to educate others against similar acts.
Rousey can help make things right by becoming a victim's advocate and leading charitable efforts to help those like the families of the Sandy Hook victims. She could volunteer to assist the efforts of Sandy Hook Promise, which says of itself, "Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation."
There are many other general advocacy groups to which she could lend a helping hand, such as the National Organization for Victim Advocacy, or the National Center for Victims of Crime, to name a few.
Her apology was a good start, but that's all it was.
Advocating for victims of such senseless crimes would be the way she's looking for to make right whatever pain it was that she caused upon sharing that ill-fated conspiracy video.