Facebook: helping to try and kill the stupids

**Ksandra** · 2009-09-09 16:28

Trapped Girls Updated Facebook Status Instead of Calling For Help

Too much social media can be a bad thing. Two girls lost in a stormwater drain in Adelaide, Australia, updated their Facebook (Facebook) status instead of calling emergency services on Sunday night, in a situation authorities called “worrying”.

It’s not clear how much danger the 10- and 12-year old girls were in: Australia’s ABCNews describes them as both “lost” and “trapped”, but it’s possible that they felt no imminent danger. Nonetheless, the Metropolitan Fire Service expressed concern that the youngsters, equipped with phones, would raise the alarm on Facebook rather than calling 000, the Australian equivalent of 911:

The 10- and 12-year-old girls updated a Facebook status to say they were lost in a drain on Honeypot Road at Hackham in Adelaide’s southern suburbs on Sunday night. Glenn Benham from the MFS says it was fortunate a young friend was online at the time and was able to call for help for them.

“It is a worry for us because it causes a delay on us being able to rescue the girls,” he said.

“If they were able to access Facebook from their mobile phones, they could have called 000, so the point being they could have called us directly and we could have got there quicker than relying on someone being online and replying to them and eventually having to call us via 000 anyway.”

It’s not the first time social media has been used in place of an emergency call: in Atlanta, Georgia in May 2009, a councilman was concerned that his cellphone battery would be flat by the time a 911 call connected. Instead, he Tweeted: “Need a paramedic on corner of John Wesley Dobbs and Jackson st. Woman on the ground unconscious. Pls ReTweet”.

**Blabj** · 2009-09-09 16:33

This just reaffirms my position on my faith in humanity.

**Meph** · 2009-09-09 16:38

000 shouldve just sent a friend-request to the dumbasses before even bothering to head out there

**melbufrauma** · 2009-09-09 16:45

stupid bitches

**Korietsu** · 2009-09-09 16:45

The real question is, how the fuck did they manage to get into the drain in the first place?

**Akucaen** · 2009-09-09 16:46

I saw this the other day, but fucking seriously? I really want to know what was going through their minds: "OH GOD, I'M TRAPPED. LET ME PICK UP MY CELLULAR TELEPHONE AND CONNECT TO THE INTERNET INSTEAD OF DIALING 911!" (or 999/000 depending on where you are.)

People are fucking stupid and these two girls are shining examples of why I hate dealing with other people most of the time.

**Headspace** · 2009-09-09 16:47

Originally Posted by Korietsu

The real question is, how the fuck did they manage to get into the drain in the first place?

They fell into it while texting.

**Blabj** · 2009-09-09 16:47

Originally Posted by Korietsu

The real question is, how the fuck did they manage to get air into their lungs in the first place?

ftfy

**Qalbert** · 2009-09-09 16:47

Originally Posted by Headspace

They fell into it while texting.

win

**Sera** · 2009-09-09 16:47

people need to stop calling emergency services for these people, thin the herd a bit, know what i'm sayin?

**Akucaen** · 2009-09-09 16:51

Originally Posted by Sera

people need to stop calling emergency services for these people, thin the herd a bit, know what i'm sayin?

I have been saying for a long time that generalized warning labels need to be taken off of everything. Force people to research the dangers of using or trying anything on their own (so they're forced to understand it.) If someone harms themselves because they didn't understand the danger of an activity they willingly consented to... well... you get my point.

**Jefe** · 2009-09-09 16:57

I'd rather read that update than your bullshit "what animal are you?" type of survey, etc.

**Minions** · 2009-09-09 17:09

Originally Posted by Headspace

They fell into it while texting.

/thread

I love when people tie in old news stories.

**wipers** · 2009-09-09 17:11

Save me facebook friends my current status is being murdered by my wife.

**Priran** · 2009-09-09 19:34

it's not facebook's fault they're australian

**Kiro** · 2009-09-09 19:37

We really need to just start taking the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself.

**Kryssan** · 2009-09-09 19:40

Originally Posted by Kiro

We really need to just start taking the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself.

I would support this solution. Particularly for the really cool ones like you find on chain saws and the like.

**archibaldcrane** · 2009-09-09 19:41

Or, like the article says, maybe they weren't actually scared and the status update was just kind of "tee-hee" joking.

**Kaisha** · 2009-09-09 19:56

Originally Posted by Akucaen

I saw this the other day, but fucking seriously? I really want to know what was going through their minds: "OH GOD, I'M TRAPPED. LET ME PICK UP MY CELLULAR TELEPHONE AND CONNECT TO THE INTERNET INSTEAD OF DIALING 911!" (or 999/000 depending on where you are.)
.

For some reason this came into mind: YouTube - IT crowd emergency phone number

At any rate, do people generally use the net on their phone for common social crap? Most I used on mine (back when I had a data plan) was for Google maps and looking up times/location for particular stores/theaters. If I wanted to Facebook I'd use my bloody PC when I get home. About as bad as the women at my last workplace who'd just ping-pong text messages rather than.......talking to each other during breaks.

**Talka** · 2009-09-09 20:59

Originally Posted by Kryssan

I would support this solution. Particularly for the really cool ones like you find on chain saws and the like.

"Do not operate near genitals." Err ok, I kinda figured that. But ya never know when an idiot will come by and try it.

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