Fake News!
Social media seems to be the trend
how of how most of us get our information, but what about the more private
information? Is there a limit to what we won’t share on social media?
In more recent years, particularly with
celebrities, using the internet to share someone passing has been a popular way
to share and celebrate the impact their life had on others. Social media has
been the platform to share when someone many love in the world has passed. For
example, look to the recent passing of the Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher.
Look at this article from the Rolling
Stone . After Carrie’s death social
media went into a frenzy to celebrate and remember her. Is this a positive thing? I believe that it is
to an extent. On the other hand, it is important to have some level of privacy
for the family. In lecture we have discussed how hashtags can be taken over,
(think about case study 1) so when people are hashtags and trying to celebrate someone’s
memory it can have the opposite impact. To me this is dangerous because it can
be very disrespectful.
Looking into this week’s case
study. What about when someone’s death is faked by the internet. Either by
misunderstanding or on purpose. This
Article shows how often this has happened
recently with 8 examples. What is the point of these stories? I believe that it
is simply for attention. Convincing the world that a celebrity they care about
has passed away can gain world-wide attention. Sadly, I think world attention,
no matter the context is a driving force for a lot of people. It’s a chance for
them to get noticed, no matter what consequences will come later.
How do we know what source is real
and what is fake in these kinds of situations? Research. We need to be
responsible to rely on more than just our social media sites for information. It’s
tricky to find the truth, but it is important!
I love how you highlight that it is harder to find the truth because it really is! Doing research on what we are re-posting and sharing is a necessary inconvenience to stop our own part being played in the continuous cycle of false information in the media today.
ReplyDeleteI like how you brought up case study 1 and hashtags. I do think it's nice to celebrate the lives of celebrities who have passed being as they were well known. However, I do think that maybe hashtags could be avoided to avoid any possible disrespect. I also like how you mentioned that attention is a driving force for a lot of people no matter what consequences it might bring. I think that's important to remember when reading about these different news sources that report on things right away, before they have the facts.
ReplyDelete