Social media
has allowed everyday citizens to become authors, editors, and publishers of
news and information. Do you believe
that social media has increased the quality of news and information or
decreased it?
With social
media being what it is today; it seems like it would make it easier to stay up
to date with the latest news. But in reality it's turned it into a game of
broken telephone. People will post anything that catches their eye these days
regardless of putting research into the story. The truth can be twisted into a
specific viewpoint or opinion, and it makes certain things hard to believe.
That's why you're always told never to believe everything you read on the
internet. There's much better sources to direct your curiosity on current
events.
I'll admit
that I've been tricked into believing things that turned out to be false.
There's a group of people you have to watch out for out there in the world wide
web. They call them internet trolls, and their goal is to make you look and
feel stupid. They go out of their way to spread lies and untrue information
just to get the general population going. Of course there are true stories that
are posted by the public, but even the poster may not know if the information
their publishing is accurate or not. Everyone has their own opinion about what
may or may not have happened in a specific situation, and it's scary to know
that some people can base their opinion off of the first source they read. One
thing you definitely need to know is that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are
not general news sources. Even Wikipedia has the option to edit information
which makes it an unscholarly source to use on school assignments.
There are
however websites that can be trusted. Always look for references, and citations
so you know what your reading has been researched. A story based on assumptions
and opinions won't have any of the sort. But by all means; if you find
something interesting you have the right to read it. Just don't be so gullible
as to completely trust every word that's being said unless you have the proof
you need.
