Not true. Not false. Out of context.
There’s nothing that can guarantee a source credible if you only spend a minute looking at it.
Modern journalism is dying out, and its landscape is being reshaped by overly-biased news and social media. Although a lot more convenient, social media news has been transformed into a mess of misinformation.
Social media is an unreliable source of news, especially due to the focus on engagement. Even independent social media journalists are vying for as much engagement as possible. In the world of scrolling and short form content, time equals money. By adding a sense of clickbait culture to important events that people should be informed about, the creators are not only getting a sensationalist story, but one that is out of context, too.
Entire posts or ideas can be fabricated for interactive bait. Increased engagement earns the individual more money and implements an algorithm that often prioritizes content that aligns with the users’ existing beliefs and preferences, making context bubbles. The whole point of reading news is to stay informed, and we can’t do that with just one perspective.
The type of news people get on TikTok or Instagram Reels isn’t completely useless, as it allows almost anyone in the world to post their point of view. For instance, live coverage over the current situations in Gaza by locals offers a perspective dangerous for live reporters, but, due to misleading users faking scenarios, the aspect of first-hand coverage can not be trusted all the time.
Reading trusted news sources has its benefits, too, as having time to process what they see allows readers to choose different publications, giving more rounded coverage of situations. By reading an in-depth or investigative story, a reader can understand important topics that go beyond a surface-level, one minute video.
Another benefit of traditional news outlets is that they often adhere to standards of fact-checking and editorial oversight. On social media, any user can completely skip and ignore a verification process, and people can see it as fact due to their assumptions of quality.
There have been multiple reports of incidents, including shootings, fights and cancellations, that harmed individuals because of fake news being taken at face value. These situations have been direct products of people publishing fake statements for money, and the readers who take it to heart.
News on social media can offer new perspectives and more transparency, but everything it can do right, it can do wrong. Social media can be a powerful tool, but as users, we should exercise caution with independent news sources.
