Social Media & Fact Checking

The internet has become the fastest growing platform for communications in the past few years.  Through the internet we have been introduced to social media which has allowed us to create an online community.  The internet has become such an integral part of our life that often times we believe everything that is on the internet.

As social media use increases, the line between facts and rumors is blurring.  With the recent elections fact checking was supposed to provide fast and accurate checks for those engaged in the debates through platforms like Twitter.  However, what happens when unexpected incidents like Hurricane Sandy happen. 

As the north eastern part of the U.S. was being hit by a natural disaster there were multiple tweets and Facebook posts about the current situation in states like New York and Connecticut.  Later we realized that these posts were actually not real.  Pictures like the one below were circulating the internet and in reality they were images from the film The Day After Tomorrow.

Day After Tomorrow

This is not the only time where a situation has been blown out of proportion or even made up.  Twitter is constantly trending on the deaths of celebrities or other well known figures around the world.

Ultimately, fact checking is important for news stories but through social media the urgency to be the first one with the big news has created a decline in fact checking.  For now, the public is giving those who fail to fact check a slap on the wrist.  However, if this persists, will we continue to be less careful about our actions on social media outlets?

Using social media is a privilege that comes with responsibility but if we fail to see this responsibility we will consume lies that tear down the platform that brought us together as a community in the first place.

Alejandra Aguirre
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