That’s right. Kanye West has agreed to run with Donald Trump for re-election, as they have been confirmed by the Republican party as the primary candidates. In addition, news broke that Trump was looking to replace Vice President Mike Pence in the coming election because Trump gave him the famed, “You’re Fired!” after the negotiations with North Korea.
As a disclaimer before you continue reading, the above paragraph is false. None of it is true, but it illustrates a point. In today’s world of social media, it is possible to see a wide array of information in your news feed. The information may be like the paragraph above and others may be linked to reputable sources such as the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. With a multitude of statistics, information, and anecdotes that float across our social media feeds, which ones are believable? Which ones are shareable?
Anyone can share any information, but the question is, should they?
Before posting, sharing, and citing any information, there are steps that should take place.
First, check the source. It sounds simple but can be more challenging than a person might expect. Checking the source can be as simple as following the link to the website.
However, that might not always be full proof. The information being shared on social media doesn’t come with a works cited page, nor does it come with a link to the source. This means you must find the information on your own. For example, I saw an infographic detailing how Louisiana was replicating slavery by approving inmates to work at $0.04 per hour on state construction projects. I thought this was an interesting infographic. After spending a quick 15-minute search on Google I found an article on NOLA.com which stated, “A Louisiana Senate committee voted 3-2 Tuesday (May 8) to allow state prisoners to work on construction projects and do repair and renovation work at the Department of Corrections’ administrative buildings as well as the state capitol complex. Prisoners would be paid either $4.70 per hour for these jobs or be able to earn credit toward an earlier release.”
Bias is important to identify because it frames the information being published. The infographic was cropped to include a provocative comment and was branded by a right-wing social media group, Occupy Democrats Logic. Which, for anyone unsure, has a bias on the conservative side of arguments. Bias affects the writing as it directs the narrative.
Now that the source of the information and the bias has been identified, there is one more step before the share button is clicked. The last step is determining the context of the information. Context is vital to understanding the facts. For example, look at the following sentence without context. “One hundred children were used in the experiment that included samples being taken weekly and restricted play time to a few hours a day.”
The sentence sounds horrific and would exact a response from readers. Consider the context: “The cancer research institute granted one hundred applications for an experimental trial aimed at children diagnosed with bone cancer that lasted for three months and was completely paid for.” Now the first sentence makes more sense and leaves readers with a positive feeling because the context was given.
These three simple steps will not only help you determine the truth from you read, watch, or listen too but also understand the message and reasoning behind it.
Austin O’Neill can be reached at [email protected]