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Don’t just read this headline!

From the previous post on Digital Differences, we have seen how internet access could help narrow the social gap by increasing people’s access to information. At the same time, the adaptation of Internet and the growth of social media see an alarming spread of false or misled information. Hence, it is important to obtain the skill to identify reliable sources of information. Think twice Whenever you come across an article, think of this checklist. Continue reading →

Don’t just read this headline!

From the previous post on Digital Differences, we have seen how internet access could help narrow the social gap by increasing people’s access to information. At the same time, the adaptation of Internet and the growth of social media see an alarming spread of false or misled information. Hence, it is important to obtain the skill to identify reliable sources of information. Think twice Whenever you come across an article, think of this checklist. Continue reading →

HALF TRUTHS, WHOLE LIES?

Something seems odd. It feels disparate. Let me walk you through it. My Observation and Evaluation I analysed these numbers and wondered how there is a significant 8% rise over just a year as compared to 3% over three years in usage of social media sites as news sources when 88% (64%+24%) of the population feel fake or fabricated news cause confusion. This was perplexing to me. (Shearer, E. and Gottfried, J. (2018). And Barthel, M., Mitchell, A. and Holcomb, J. (2018). Continue reading →

How is your media literacy?

Media Literacy In a world where we are heavily surrounded by digital technologies, it is important to be cautious of online information. As noted in last week’s topic of digital differences, we touched on the notion that our learning and views can be limited if we do not widen our learning network. One way to achieve this is through improving our media literacy. Continue reading →

How is your media literacy?

Media Literacy In a world where we are heavily surrounded by digital technologies, it is important to be cautious of online information. As noted in last week’s topic of digital differences, we touched on the notion that our learning and views can be limited if we do not widen our learning network. One way to achieve this is through improving our media literacy. Continue reading →

Are YOU contributing to fake news?

  Bertrand Russell once said “Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.”. However, this is easier said than done. It seems that on a deep psychological level, we are attracted to clickbait and sensationalist headlines, which leaves us vulnerable to believing false information. Especially when we consider that lies travel faster than truth (Vosoughi et al, 2018). Pictured: Fake news travels faster. Continue reading →

“Fake News” vs “Real News”

https://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/  Social media is a huge part of our everyday lives it is easy for news to get misinterpreted. News stories can be published within minutes of an event and will be shared over Twitter and Facebook as soon as the story has been leaked. But just because a story has been shared multiple times it doesn’t mean that the information is 100% accurate or reliable. Continue reading →

Learning on the Web – who can you trust?

The Web is an endless pool of information and, while it may sound obvious, it’s very easy to get mislead. This comes down to the need to grow our personal learning networks but not knowing where to look, or being satisfied with content that align with our beliefs (Flaxman, Goel and Rao, 2016). The latter is called an echo chamber. We tend to interact with people similar to us and not often see the views of those from different online communities (Future Learn, 2018). Continue reading →

Fake News: Assess your source

The Problem: The great thing about social media is the freedom of anybody to create an account which they can post from. Which is also the huge problem with social media. Despite Fake News not being a new phenomenon, it’s ability to dominate discussion has risen by a vast amount since the introduction of social media (Walton, 2018) . Continue reading →

Assessing Reliability and Authenticity on the Web: Mainstream Media

Online news can take many forms, but I want to focus on the reliability of mainstream network media in their broadcasting and online platforms. The ‘decreasing objectivity’ of online platforms have made the web a polarisation machine. (Simpson, 2012) Politically, for instance, the right tend more towards the right; and the left towards the left. Continue reading →

“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it”- Jonathan Swift

Reference for the Quote in the Title. An issue that needs addressing: A BuzzFeed News analysis found that in the last 3 months of the most recent US presidential campaign, the top-performing fake election news stories on Facebook generated more engagement than the top stories from major news outlets. During this time, 20 false election stories from hoax sites generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook (BuzzFeed, 2016). Continue reading →

“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it”- Jonathan Swift

Reference for the Quote in the Title. An issue that needs addressing: A BuzzFeed News analysis found that in the last 3 months of the most recent US presidential campaign, the top-performing fake election news stories on Facebook generated more engagement than the top stories from major news outlets. During this time, 20 false election stories from hoax sites generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook (BuzzFeed, 2016). Continue reading →

Thanks, Donald Trump

Thanks, Donald Trump. Because of you ‘fake news’ has become Collins Dictionary’s word of the year in 2017 (Hunt, 2017). Although not a new phenomenon, fake news has become a part of everyday life stemming from social media’s influence within Brexit and the recent US General Election (Dice, 2017). Below is an infographic created through Canva examining the public response to fake news: Source: Infographic created through Canva. Continue reading →

Thanks, Donald Trump

Thanks, Donald Trump. Because of you ‘fake news’ has become Collins Dictionary’s word of the year in 2017 (Hunt, 2017). Although not a new phenomenon, fake news has become a part of everyday life stemming from social media’s influence within Brexit and the recent US General Election (Dice, 2017). Below is an infographic created through Canva examining the public response to fake news: Source: Infographic created through Canva. Continue reading →

Thanks, Donald Trump

Thanks, Donald Trump. Because of you ‘fake news’ has become Collins Dictionary’s word of the year in 2017 (Hunt, 2017). Although not a new phenomenon, fake news has become a part of everyday life stemming from social media’s influence within Brexit and the recent US General Election (Dice, 2017). Below is an infographic created through Canva examining the public response to fake news: Source: Infographic created through Canva. Continue reading →

Web 2.0. The real reason fake news exists?

What is a fake news? Fake news has recently launched into public debate, partly due to alleged Russian intervention in foreign political processes (Peters, 2017). Oxford Dictionaries define this phenomenon as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”. Fake news articles deliberately intend to mislead readers to promote an agenda or idea. Continue reading →