The other day, my friend and I were somewhat blindly scrolling Facebook until we came upon something slightly appealing: a video of a machine that could attach to a paralyzed hand or arm and create movement. I was a pretty cool video, and showed the new equipment as well as the makers behind the scenes. When watching this video I realized that yes it was quite intriguing, was it actually important? More and more teenagers and young adults are referring to Facebook as a news source. This can be a good idea and a questionable one.
Facebook, as we know can be a source of all things, communication, entertainment, news, and more. The platform has become a phenomenon, being able to share to thousands around the world the different information that flows through it, however, among that information comes a sort of real news, or what we think of it. In order to understand this article, the world news must be defined, and in the terms of Facebook, it seems that news is mostly information that is current and relevant, such as politics or local events. While Facebook does a good job allowing for information to be flowed and connected to others, there is no filter stating what is right or accurate.
While also scrolling Facebook, my friend and I came across a video made of Hillary Clinton’s best moments. We were hesitant to watch because of the various outlets it may come from, however we proceeded to watch the short clip. While the clip wasn’t necessarily informative, it reminded us that Facebook is a little suspect, and one should be aware of all the different news being filtered in and out. Another aspect of finding news on Facebook, is the fact that Facebook is filtered to various people’s likings, and learns more about you everyday. Facebook filtering is a good and bad thing in and of itself, however in the news atmosphere, by having a filtered page, it may only show you the things you like, and not the things you dislike. This may seem like a good idea, and it is, however in the bigger scheme of things, it tends to only show you half the picture or only one side of a puzzle.
Facebook is a social network and a filtered information outlet. Facebook truly is a brilliant creation, but with brilliant creations comes questioning. Facebook will always have the power to show people what they think they want to see, but what Facebook lacks, is the real, accurate and clear news from all angles. Facebook will always report good entertainment, but has not yet mastered good news.
