Note: I forgot to post the first column of the season before we left for Hawaii. Sorry, readers!
It is a new season at TR, and we, the residents, have fully embraced the digital age. When I began writing this column in the early part of the century, my focus was on helping my readers learn to use their computers. Today most TR residents are not only competent in using computers, but they also use mobile devices for phone calls, video chats, texting, and connecting to the internet. It is internet based social media platforms that consume a large chunk of time in the average American's day.
Last May the New York Times reported that users spend an average of 50 minutes a day on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger platforms, with Facebook in the lead. While I spend less than 50 minutes a day on Facebook, I do check in regularly, and over the past year I have noticed a substantial increase in so called "news items" added to my timeline.
We've all heard someone say "It must be true because I read it on the internet." In fact as recently as last month, a presidential candidate recommended that his followers should rely on the internet as a main source of news. But how can we know what we read on the internet is true? Anyone can post, and unlike mainstream news media, there is not a structure of checks and balances in place to root out false stories. On November 14 the New York Times published a story titled "Google and Facebook Take Aim at Fake News Sites." These fake news sites, which are not to be confused with comedy news sites like The Onion, are created for the sole purpose of making money by generating false news and in turn increasing traffic on their websites and advertising revenue.
The news generated by these websites look genuine, and are most often posted for viewing by people who agree with the philosophical leanings of the "news." People who have been identified by Facebook, or Google, as conservative (and believe me Facebook and Google know a lot about you) will see very different news than those identified as liberals. With the ease of sharing on Facebook, these news stories quickly go "viral" — everyone who clicks on the SHARE button sends the story to everyone of their friends
Vladimir Lenin once said "A lie told often enough becomes the truth," and John F. Kennedy stated “No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth." Journalist Carl Bernstein recently wrote, "The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage."
As citizens of this digital age, it is our responsibility to weed out the garbage from the facts. FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and politifact.com, a Pulitzer Prize winning website published by the Tampa Bay Times, are two excellent sources for culling the facts from the lies. Another excellent source, snopes.com, makes fact checking easy for the average person. Visit the site and type a phrase into the search box and find out if you are reading rumors, innuendos, outright lies or facts. The website, which began in 1995 as a vehicle for researching urban legends (are there really alligators living in the sewers of Manhattan?), has evolved into one of the most trusted websites for dispelling false news.
An assistant professor of communications at Merrimack College in Massachusetts has put together a list of "False, misleading, clickbait-y and satirical 'news' sources," and made the list publicly available as a Google doc. It includes websites on all sides of the political spectrum and is definitely worth a look. The web address is very long, and a link will be available in the online version of OnMouseClick.
Eddie and I will be traveling until shortly before Christmas — another trip to Hawaii to see our beautiful granddaughters. When OnMouseClick returns in January I will focus on enhancing our lives through the use of our digital devices. Until then, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving (even our Canadian friends) and a joyous holiday season. T
No comments:
Post a Comment