News from Social Media: True or False?

How users must be critical of what they read before they believe it.

With social media, there’s a 50/50 percent chance of false news appearing on your feed. Well-known people sometimes turn up dead on the web when they’re alive and well in reality. Due to the shock factor this type of news generates, users fail to use their good judgment and retweet or share the news. When press releases come out that this personality who ‘died’ is still breathing, users who spread the scoop get embarrassed and bashed on forums and other sites.

It’s important to verify news first to prevent from being humiliated in the end. Turn to trustworthy journalists and broadcasters to find out the real situation. Jim Lehrer and Brian Williams are famous TV news anchors you can trust to give you the right information on a current topic. Remember that online news isn’t always factual and does not regularly check up on facts. It’s up to you to analyze the whole topic first before you let yourself believe the news you encounter on social networking sites.

Why isn’t social media a completely truthful source? First, social networks are open to everybody who wants to keep in touch with what’s going on across oceans and continents. Second, anybody can publish a believable public post that can be shared hundreds of times. If the user who created a tweet or status update just wants to play around and cry ‘Wolf!’ then we’ll all be made to look foolish and gullible. So, before you click ‘Share,’ confirm first to spare yourself from being ashamed after you’re proven wrong.