BBC: Do you think for yourself?-2

Let's move on and consider briefly how social media encourages groupthink. 

Yes, there's  a real danger with something like, for example, the Twitter- the social networking service. Because when an opinion on Twitter starts to "trend", it can take on a momentum of its own, and people adopt it simply because it's popular, not because they really believe it. 

And momentum means a force that keeps something going it has started. Let's hear from journalist and author, John Ronson. He has an interesting opinion about this. 

One of the ironies here is that on social media we all like to see ourselves as nonconformists but when we all get together in a group what we're doing is using our individual nonconformity to create a more conformist world. So if somebody steps out of line, all us nonconformists, in this frightened conformist way, tear them apart. It's like we're defining the boundaries of noramlity by tearing apart the people on the outside. 

John Ronson. Are you a nonconformist then, Neil- someone who thinks and behaves differently from other people?

I'm no the type that John Ronson is describing- one who joins up with other so-called nonconformists to bully people with different views. Now remember I asked you eariler. In which story by Hans Christian Anderson does a young boy dare to tell the truth when everyone else goes along with an obvious lie? Is it...

a0 The Red Shoes  b) The Snow Oueen   or  c) The Emperor's New clothes?

I guessed c) The Emperor's New Clothes.

And you were right, Sophie! The Emperor's New Clothes is a story by Hans Christian Anderson about two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisiable to those who are stupid or incompetent. No one dares until a child cries out. "But he isn't wearing anything at all"

It's a great story- and a lesson to us all.