How do you know what you know? Name one new thing you learned using a social media site today and explain why you believe it is true. What source did you use to acquire this information? At times, are social media sites reliable for obtaining credible information?

I base most of my knowledge on my experiences. What I experience, what others close to me experience or even experiences that occur as a result of my surroundings have all been learning experiences for me in some way, shape, or form. I also attribute most of my knowledge to my educational background as well as information I read via the internet, books and the media in general.  One new piece of information I learned today was that the Boston Celtics traded Kevin Garnett, Paul Peirce and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets. Being from Massachusetts and most of my Facebook friends being from Massachusetts as well, this was big news and I found it posted all over my Facebook newsfeed. Most of my Facebook friends who posted this information posted about their opinions or thoughts as a result of this shocking trade. The reason why I know there is truth to this piece of information is because a few of my Facebook friends had actually posted a link to the website as a reference. For example, one friend posted a link to an ESPN website followed by his opinion. I have been seeing a lot of this lately and I think it is a great idea. We as a class have been discussing and debating over the accuracy of information posted and broadcasted via social media and although this is not a solution to the problem I think it is extremely helpful. I could cross reference the information by clicking on the link and reading the article for myself. With ESPN being such a reputable website I felt more confident in the piece of information I read regarding the trade. If the post had been referenced back to the National Enquirer on the other hand, I would have done a bit more research.

 

 

So, in this case social media did in fact provide factual information. Sure, it was posted along with a strong opinion but the person who posted the information cited the information by posting the website article for others to visit, check out or perhaps to cross reference. Maybe if social media users started doing this more consistently we would not have so many issues with the sharing of inaccurate information. We can then put the responsibility back on to journalists and media stations to be more diligent with fact checking prior to releasing and broadcasting information to new media outlets.

 

 

Personally, I typically utilize social media for more “entertainment” news however; I have been seeing more and more people share or tweet about real news. Although this type of news postings are extremely convenient to check via social media sites, I know that if I want details regarding a particular news story I will need to check more reliable resources rather then relying on social media posts. That is where things get a bit murky in terms of what is fact verses what is opinion or speculation.