I was asked if I believe that social media has increased or decreased the quality of news and information?
I have to say that I am on the fence with if it is increased or decreased the quality. I do not believe that it is better quality, nor do I think that it has gotten worse.
Social media sites have made it so news can be spread faster. News articles can be posted online right after they have been written, where as traditional news papers are only printed daily. The internet makes it so that the news can be delivered as it happens, rather then when a new paper is published. It is more accessible to readers, like how news articles are highlighted on social networking sites. I don't have to read a news paper personally to know the latest news, I can access the news articles right from the main page of my yahoo account. If it catches my eye or my interest, then I read the article entirely, if not, then I just read the title and the first sentence. Major events, like the Superbowl, NHL playoffs, deaths of celebrities, are all prime examples of social networking news. After the Superbowl, even during, I was being updated on a game I wasn't watching, by just being online and having my friends post about it. Celebrities deaths is a major role with this. Once one person hears it, it becomes spread across facebook and twitter. Even false deaths get spread just as fast. Thus bringing me into the false information factor.
The saying "you can't always believe what you read" comes to mind when ever I read anything from a social networking site. Unless it is a link to an article from a newspaper site, then I usually find myself googling the information until I find if it is true or not. Anyone can write anything on a website, that does not mean the information is true or false. There is a lot of falsified information running through the internet these days. It is hard to find information from a credited, reliable source, unless it is from a news paper website. Take Wikipedia for example. I believe the site was a great idea, easy way to find information. But it is hard to believe everything from that site. It is why I was told from one of my teachers, that if we find information on that site, try and find it from a more reliable, credited source. Anyone can write on Wikipedia, and can edit the information on that site. So not everything is factual.
I understand that social media is a great way to get information across, but it is the information that is presented that isn't always trusted. Since it is online, and not in a book, it's hard to make sure that it is factual. Some times, a little more research into the "facts" that are being presented is necessary. Better to take the time to know the truth, then to make a fool of yourself by helping to spread false information.
