Wild, Wild, West

Trump

I was thinking  yesterday about how I learn and consume information on current events, trending topics, and anything else that interests me.  And of course, like a lot of people, I consume it mostly through Facebook and Twitter. The challenges of that though, is the fact that these platforms are mostly uncensored which can often result in misleading and skewed information.

For instance, Wikipedia, the faux encyclopedia, is not recommended or recognized by most academicians since its content is editable by anyone. CNN, Forbes, and WSJ, have dedicated websites and may be a bit more reliable since its content has to be fact-checked and approved. Even still, I think a little bit of “say what you want” can still creep in just to temporarily grab consumers’ attention and be corrected after the fact. It was mentioned in class two weeks ago that the personalities who tweet or Facebook for a business are different than the personalities who do research and fact check for material submitted on websites. Twitter and Facebook contain more spontaneous content where the actual websites may be a bit more reliable. All that said, environments are still digital so in my opinion, all content is suspect.

It is a scary thing.  In this climate, nothing is sacred. All topics are targetable and scathing things said are often without consequences. People can insult and challenge the president. Violence can be made fun of and cruelty is celebrated. A classmate blogged this week that Facebook and Twitter, in many cases doesn’t create good feelings in its consumers. The beneficial and positive content seems rare while the negative posts are rampantly feeding. Even the positive content showing people at their personal best result in making some people feel bad if they compare their own lives.  I always tell my friend, “Stop looking at Facebook. You’d be better off watching The Walking Dead.”  And then I turn on Keeping Up With the Kardashians or Real Housewives of Atlanta.
I’m realize the downward spiral of all this even beyond social media but I, just like everyone else, am caught up in mayhem and can’t stop tuning in for my daily dose of drama.

social media

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This entry was posted in psychology and perception, Social Media, social media and accuracy, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Wild, Wild, West

  1. sydhavely says:

    We’re all creatures and consumers of social media, Cindy, and you make valid points as to why.

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