Social media has made sending and receiving any type of information fast, and sometimes even instant. Everyone has their favorite sources to get their news from whether it’s a gossip blog like TMZ or a reliable news source like The Toronto Star, which is also now available online. Nowadays when it comes to the news, an age-old question arises "Which is better quality or quantity?" Everyone feels entitled to their own opinion, and with forms of social media like Twitter anyone is able to instantly send out information fact or fiction, and with so much news and information flooding in with the simple click of a refresh button, it becomes hard to separate between the two. The topic of social media and the information it allows us to receive and share will always be a double-edged sword. Most times a biased opinion of a story is generated and you have to visit several different sources to develop your own opinion, or someone of creditability has to set the story straight. Just like rumours, social media can have false information blown up in a matter of minutes, making headlines, a trending topic, and top share. It can also spread worldly news, sports highlights, and great causes happening, creating many typically uninformed individuals into informed citizens of the goings on. There is even speculation that sometime in the future our favorite search engine sites like Google will begin to pair up with social networking tools to provide your search with results displaying opinions and suggestions from real human beings. As the evolution of social media continues it’s main purpose seems to be participation, so whether or not the quality is there, people will continue to comment, like, and share. Blogger Anson Alexander suggests “The more people who participate in these features of social media, the more valuable their opinions will become. Imagine if every single person who read an article online had the option of “liking” or “disliking” the article. Now imagine if every single person who read an article online actually participated in the system of “liking” or “disliking” articles. We would have a pretty accurate picture of what articles are the most valuable and what articles are the least valuable wouldn’t we?”[1] So next time you’re checking up on your smartphone or surfing around on the internet, don’t be afraid to leave a comment or hit a “like” option, you’re adding to the quality of content we all view each and every day!
[1] Alexander, A. (2011). The Future of Information Sharing Through Social Media and Why Everyone Benefits. Retrieved Feb 6th, 2012.
I agree with what you said about social media being a double- edged sword and that you have to make sure the information you are reading is coming from a credible source. I think that like you said you must visit several different social media sites to check the information you received for accuracy. I think that it is helpful that people everywhere can share their opinions and stories but we still have to be cautious about what sites we are getting our information and news from.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about visiting several sites. I find myself going to 5 or 6 to make sure all the information matches up or to see if there is any differences. I also agree that social media is one of the most instant ways to gather information now, especially through smart-phones with all the new apps and creations. We all just have to make sure we are going to the right sites and avoid sites that you know and can tell that have been edited by someone that doesn't know what they're talking about.
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