In a time where the term “fake news” has taken over, many find it confusing and difficult to get information from accurate and unbiased sources. This problem has only increased as it becomes more and more common for social media sites to become politically based, attracting input and opinions from every side.
Although the information that comes in may be diverse, it unfortunately may not always be true. Propaganda and misleading sources have begun to run wild on sites such as Facebook, where people press the “like” and “share” buttons before looking up the facts and doing the research about the information being shown.
Multiple times I have seen people share information that isn’t true or seemed very different from what they were advertising after I did a quick Google search. Living in a time deemed “The Digital Age,” where information flourishes and every question you can think of is only a click away, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. However, there are tips to stay informed and find good, reliable sources.
Social media sites are great for contacting friends and learning new tips and tricks, but they’re not always the best news sources. If it is part of your routine to check social media for news, make sure you also spend time reading a daily newspaper or magazine for the latest events happening that week. It can be good to compare and contrast the news articles to social media posts and identify in which ways they are similar and which they are different.
Newspapers lately have been called a “thing of the past,” but I disagree. Most newspapers, especially local, are known to be mostly neutral and unbiased, containing factual statements made by those who have been interviewed by local reporters.
Another thing to keep in mind while browsing the Internet is to always be skeptical. If something seems too bizarre to be true, look it up. If something outrages you, do your research and see if your point remains the same.
While scrolling through my Instagram feed, I take every post with a grain of salt. When finding an issue or post that stands out, I remind myself that yes, there could be parts of it that are true, but there could also be huge parts of it that are not. Often, with a quick Google search, I can see the issue from a more factual source and read what experts have to say on it.
The last thing to remember is to keep an open mind. Many times, I have become enraged when seeing certain claims pop up on my feed, but when I look them up through multiple sources, the issue becomes a lot more complicated than I originally thought.
Thinking information is true and discovering it is actually false can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow. But it’s important to prioritize facts over opinions and recognize truth over what you want to hear.
No matter your political standing, having a country full of informed people is a necessity. Although TikTok and Snapchat may be great social platforms, you may be advised to find your political information elsewhere.