Whether we scroll on TikTok when we wake up or look for YouTube videos while we eat, we are all constantly receiving more and more information from online sources. In fact, 86% of U.S. citizens say they get at least some of their news off of social media, according to Pew Research.
As the media has evolved, having access to important news of all scopes at our fingertips is certainly valuable. However, the phrase “nothing good comes easy” is applicable to finding news online.
The accessibility of posting on social media can lead to false or altered information spreading to thousands of people in just minutes. Failing to fully understand the information we consume is detrimental.
It’s easy to immediately react to shocking posts with strong emotions. We often feel threatened when something we agree with is challenged rather than curious as to why others may disagree.
In this manner, we override our critical thinking. When our rationality is abandoned, we throw ourselves into an echo chamber, refuse to listen to the thoughts of others, and then simply look away from opposing perspectives that could challenge our assertions.
Ray Holmes, librarian, said various aspects of any post contribute to how they are perceived.
“The word choices you use, the images you use, the way you can contextualize data and facts can go a long way in promoting different messages and playing into biases,” Holmes said.
Holmes said interacting with such posts makes them appear more on your feed due to the algorithms of certain applications.
“That tells the social media platforms they like that content, so they’ll just get fed more of that content.” Holmes said.
Misinformed users foster harmful conversations because they fail to recognize problematic posts and all sides of the truth.
Instead of only reading what is immediately available, we should dig deeper and not trap ourselves in echo chambers. We should explore opposing viewpoints and conversations through unbiased news sites like AllSides and RumorGuard.
We should understand exactly what a post is saying by researching the topic across platforms.
We should utilize our ability to question what is happening in our world for the sake of our news, important conversations, comprehension and society as a whole.
