In our modern world today, the average person spends about nine hours a day on social platforms while 30% of all time spent online is now allocated to social media interaction (socialmediatoday.com). Isn’t it strange that we spend so much time on our phones, but we spend so little time trying to understand the news or the current events? Media has become one of the biggest influences in society today. Due to the large dependency there is on social media, Americans have begun to ignore accurate sources of information. Media literacy is important because it helps one avoid inaccurate news and remain properly educated about current events.
The avoidance of inaccurate news is important as it helps one access the right source of information. With the fast pace of information spreading, it has become increasingly difficult for one to keep up with all of the news that is constantly being updated. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have taken it upon themselves to spread "news" and create news tabs for their consumers to conveniently research the news or hear about certain topics off of social media. This false allusion of "reliable" news allows a person to research while browsing through Facebook or Twitter and think that they have gained knowledge thoroughly on a specific topic while on Facebook or Twitter. It is important to know that social media sites are not the best sources of information because they can influence or determine what type of information a person receives and how that information is interpreted. Media literacy is important because it can change the perspective of what others think based off of inaccurate information.
So why exactly have I decided to share this piece of information with my audience? A man by the name of Jestin Coler has been the creator of multiple fake news accounts.
What is meant by this is that there are internet websites that are similar to ABC, FOX, CNN and other news sites that differ by just one letter or one symbol that change the content of the entire website.
In an interview on full frontal with Samantha Bee, Coler was asked as to why he would publish such sites knowing that hundreds upon thousands of people believed it to be truth. His response simply was, "It is up to the readers to distinguish between real and fake news online." The interviewer Rubens went on to compare this exact statement made by Colens as, "Teaching people about the danger of drugs by giving them more drugs." For more information on this interview, you can watch it on full frontal with Samantha Bee or log onto fortune.com to receive more information.
It's not necessarily true that social media accounts are not accurate, but are they always correct? It is important that as a consumer of media, one takes into account the type of information they're receiving and where they are receiving it from. Additionally, it is important to take into account where the information is coming from and if it is actually an accurate source of information. A couple ways to be media literate for consumers of media such as we are:
1. Check the date of when something was published
2. Check the source against itself (check other sources mentioned or posted)
3. Look closely at the websites (check the source's site before believing it entirely)
4. Verify with fact checking sites
For additional information on how to be completely media literate, one can look at the book "Media Essentials" by Richard Campbell for more insight.
Media literacy is not only important in our world today, but it is also necessary because the news we read influences our decisions and positions on any popular subject.
