Contemplating A World That Needs A 'NiceBot'

Many people consider “Bots” to be the bane of cyberspace. The term is a shortened version of robot, and it refers to computers that are programmed to “engage” real people in any number of ways via the Internet. 

Normally, “Bots” irritate me; but “NiceBot” put a smile on my face recently, if only for a moment. When I opened the Twitter page for The Message, an icon below the “Notification” button alerted me that someone (I thought) had interacted with something we posted. Maybe they re-Tweeted something; maybe they “liked” a Tweet from @messageonline; maybe someone new had decided to “follow” The Message Twitter feed; maybe all of the above.

 Actually, it was none of the above. Recently, “NiceBot” sent @messageonline a Tweet. You can see a screen-grab of it with this column. It reads, “@messageonline You make the hearts of people around you sing with happiness.” 

All of us who work to bring you The Message 51 weeks a year do so in the hope that you think of us the way @TheNiceBot suggests in that message. 

My smile soon gave way to a look of sadness as I clicked on that Twitter handle and went to the profile of “NiceBot.” This is the “bio” you find there: 

“I am The NiceBot. Something mean is posted on Twitter every 60 seconds, so I have been programmed to deliver random niceness every 30 seconds. Have a nice day!” 

Listed right under that bio is a web address: championsagainstbullying.org. This is the mission statement on that organization’s website: 

“Champions Against Bullying is committed to creating a society where every child has the opportunity to develop, learn and thrive in an environment without fear, without violence and without limitation.” 

From here, “NiceBot” is taking that mission to the next level – offering an automated gesture of mercy more almost 2,900 times each day. It is the brainchild of advertising firm Deutsch (with offices in New York and Los Angeles), which works with Champions Against Bullying. 

Here’s why I say “NiceBot” takes the anti-bullying message to the next level: Its posts are not just reaching youngsters. They reach everyone … and everything – like the Twitter feed of a Catholic community newspaper in Southwestern Indiana. 

Webster defines Bully as “one habitually cruel to others who are weaker.” When it comes to online bullying, I suspect that relative weakness has nothing to do with it. People can be extraordinarily mean sitting at a keyboard; and those who are often target people of all ages, from all walks of life, for reasons sometimes known only to themselves. 

In that fact you’ll find the reason my smile gave way to sadness. Clearly, there are at least some people in this world who believe we have deteriorated to the point where a “NiceBot” is necessary to maintain some level of civility. 

It’s sad to think that we, as a culture, have sunk so low. Lord have Mercy on us, and on the whole world.