This post is part of ToadMama's Brave, Bold, Blogger Challenge (BBBC) 2017 which is an attempt to make February go by a little more quickly. There are 28 topics, one for each day.
Misinformation
Based on the last election, this must be one of the biggest source of misinformation in the world. Not that FB the corporation is the actual source of the misinformation but their failure to vet any of what is portrayed as news that is posted on their site. An incredible number of people blindly accept it as real news, believe it and share the misinformation. The whole thing was pretty disgusting and leaves me wondering about the future of society. Even all of the "real" news sites in their mad rush to be the first out with a story chose to believe anything that fits their view of reality. Maybe the media bought into the concept that it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. But to ask forgiveness requires them to address the shortcomings in their editorial process.
But maybe I'm just picking on them since I have a very poor opinion of them and their funding model. It's right there with Google. Privacy and individual rights are all the way at the bottom. I would feel better if we were the customers and not the product. But the subject wasn't supposed to be FB bashing.
it is actually pretty frightening how many people use social media as their source of news.....of course, biased their way, blocking the rest....it's truly a mess.
ReplyDeleteEspecially frightening is how many use it as their ONLY news source. I guess I should've put quotes around news source.
DeleteMaybe this is just another witch trial moment—a modern witch trial moment—on mankind’s rough and rocky road to eventual prevailing wisdom: Hearsay and absurd accusations that some take at face value now and reward with extreme, irrational, knee-jerk responses may, given 300 years or so, be regarded as laughable or with a bit of morbid fascination by those future—enlightened—generations...
ReplyDeleteI hope.
I hope so too....
DeleteWait a moment... stuff posted on FB is not real?
ReplyDeleteActually I am more worried about people who believe in social media as a reliable source for information, than about a social media platform spreading popular opinions or fake news.
Absolutely. And the rapid decline of traditional media in their quest for clicks....
DeleteYou have to buy subscriptions to traditional media. Free is worth what you pay for it on all levels.
ReplyDeleteWell stated. You get what you paid for...
DeleteI can't help but wonder about fake news. It's really pretty easy to get people to believe stuff. I think there's a whole group of folks that just want to see how far they can go. When people will actually READ and think about what's on the screen in front f them and not just take a glance, read a few words, and move on?
ReplyDeleteThe fake news is more believable to some as it matches their expectations and they don't even want to fact check anything as they may be proven wrong.
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