AT TIMES THE Internet can seem like a cruel place. We see examples every day of people being horrible to one another or about certain groups in society, celebrities picking away at other famous people on social media sites and trolls stirring up trouble in forums and comments sections.
Though some say the surge in the use of social media sites has made people anti-social and destroyed any sense of community, there are a number of online groups and forums in which people who will probably never meet help and support each other.
The Irish Facebook group ‘Anyone Know?‘ is one of these.
The concept is simple; anyone who is a member can post a question and others will respond with tips or advice for them. The group now has more than 16,000 members and they are all startlingly kind to one another.
People in the group ask about all sorts of things – where they can find a wedding suit for their toddler, recommendations on good garages for car repairs, fashion tips for special occasions, reviews of holiday destinations and jobseeking advice.
One woman recently asked the group about how best to break the news of her father’s death to her little boy. There was an outpouring of sympathy for her with many members of the group sharing their own experiences of telling their children about deaths in the family.
Irish mammies
In this group there genuinely does not seem to be such a thing as a stupid question, no matter how obvious the answers might be. Many of the comments involve the kind of things you might ring up an Irish mammy to ask:
Jobs, houses, water charges
Sometimes controversial topics like unemployment benefits, social housing and the dreaded water charges are met with helpful, well-intended comments.
And the group can be used by those looking for work or to post job advertisements they have spotted:
Even if you’re not asking a question yourself it can be a great place to learn something – like how to wear heels for longer without being in agony:
It is rare, if ever, that someone leaves a nasty comment on a person’s post. All in all, the ‘Anyone Know?’ group is just a generally pleasant page – and perhaps it shows that society hasn’t gone to the dogs just yet.
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