Sociology Assignment | Essay Help Services
Read the information and answer the question given below the information.
Where do you get your news? In 2018, the Pew Research Center found 55% of adults get the news “often” or “sometimes” from social media platforms, like Facebook (https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2019/10/11/more-americans-are-getting-their-news-from-social-media/#571ed7113e17). Worse, 10% of adults admit to sharing fake news, while 49% shared a story they found out later was false (https://www.statista.com/statistics/657111/fake-news-sharing-online/). A study by Columbia University in 2016 found 59% of articles shared on social media were not even read before being shared! This is mostly due to the anonymity afforded by the internet (https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/ideas-work/fake-news-finds-fertile-ground-online). Social media is responsible for generating 42% of fake news so we can safely conclude social media platforms, most notable of which is Facebook, are MOST responsible for the fake news phenomenon. Maybe not a big deal to some, especially if you are not interested in politics, but think about it in today’s context – Coronavirus Pandemic, 2020. Again, I ask “where do you get your news?”
Stories circulating over the weekend showed large groups of people around the country protesting the quarantine. They held up signs and spoke with reporters about restarting the economy so people can get back to work NOW despite warnings of repercussions if quarantine ends too soon. The President tweeted messages like “free the states” to show his support and right wing media sources, like FOX and Breitbart News made it THE STORY of the weekend. Social media exploded in bipartisan war. A few Republican Governors held press conferences Monday morning to announce steps to reopen their states, and some states opened public spaces, like beaches. Fewer people wore face masks in public and if confronted, argued it is their freedom to choose. I am reminded of the Thomas Theorem yet again, and I will remind you too. The way we define something is very real in its consequences.
If you completed Module 1 and everything in Module 2 up until this point, you learned that fake news mostly starts with fake news sites. Traditional sources of news, like those found on t.v., in print, or on the radio do not manufacture fake news stories, per se, although some are more guilty than others for the spread of fake news. No, it is internet websites – pretending to be reputable news sites – that appear to be the primary source of fake news stories. Click the bait, see the story headline, share the story. This is THE moment when we become complicit. WE are (mostly) responsible for the spread of fake news. Why? Because when we are on social media, WE ARE THE MEDIA and that makes us responsible.
The purpose of the Fake News modules was to bring awareness to this growing problem but most importantly, to encourage you – us – to refrain from participating. Be aware of your own personal biases because stories that match your own personal worldview the less likely to be checked for accuracy and more likely to be shared. Make no mistake – it will be tempting, especially when you find an article that states your position perfectly. When that happens, STOP. Exert some self control and “vet” the article. Look to the fact checkers for accuracy. It’s quick and very easy (I hope you will save / print the list of fact checkers provided in this module for easy reference). If we all do this – heck, if half of us do do it – fake news will fade away. In a capitalist society, something must have value to be or remain, relevant.
(Question)TRUE: tell me what you learned.
Maybe you learned what fake news is, how to spot it, why it is dangerous, and/or what to do if you think a news story is fake.
FALSE: tell me why.
Did you already know what fake news is and how dangerous it can be? How did you learn about it? What process do you use when you suspect an article is not factual.
How can the Fake News modules be improved?
