Article Breakdown: Is Social Media Hurting Or Helping?

Facebook and Mental Health: Is Social Media Hurting Or Helping

As the article states, a majority of people who use the internet also use social media. Out of all of the most popular activities, people spend most of their time on social media. I believe this can have almost an equal amount of benefits to disadvantages. Some benefits include being socially connected, which could not be a possibility before for people who have social anxiety. Then there's the aspect of staying connected after the time as passed that you naturally see one another in everyday situations (i.e. work or school). This can be a great way to see what people have been up to. Although seeing all of this information can have so many positives, this reveal of personal information can easily lead to judgement as well as cyberbullying. Even if something is said online, it can still have a great affect on those it is being said about. This can even cause depression. Another downside to social media is addiction. Sometimes people are so involved in their online lives and how they're portrayed that they forget to even look up and see what's really happening. They can also ignore someone talking to them, which is something I've been the victim of and it can be extremely irritating.

Breaking: Media Spreads False Information!

It's no news that people believe what they choose to believe. Although this has always been an issue, it is becoming easier than ever to fall into this mindset in a time where every source of your information is made up of such a variety of news outlets. Instead of a well-rounded group of individuals spread out through each popular news source, it is usually a group of people who all share the same opinions. Americans no longer need to spend time searching for what they want to hear, they can find it with the touch of a button.
I find it extremely frightening that false information can be spread throughout the country in this way. I believe that false information can lead to violence, such as the recent "pizzagate" incident. A man fired a rifle inside a pizza shop because he had read false information online that Hillary Clinton was somehow connected to a child-abuse ring in the basement of this particular pizzeria. Not only is it frightening that information like this gets perpetuated, but it reaches a new level when it is being perpetuated by people in power, such as our own president-elect.

Some personal strategies on how I've come to spot fake news. Some big issues with modern news besides the grouping of people with similar perspectives is that the goal is no longer earnest. Instead of spreading news, the amount of views/clicks on a webpage become priority. People could be taking advantage of modern technology and its speed; every human could communicate and be on the same page, instead, the opposite is occurring. It is tearing groups apart. Strategies like like paid ads and "click-bate" determine what pops up on your screen instead of significant, real news stories and information. To find the facts, look at both the author of the story and the website/other source you're reading it from. Try to notice headlines in all caps with exclamation marks and not much actual facts in the writing. Before clicking away from reading an eye-catching headline, read the full article and try to find the facts that support what was said. If you cannot find a reliable source, or any source at all, never depend on that article. Never take action on something you do not understand the basic facts of. But also, never be afraid to take action if it prevents any harm that may be caused by a person who is unaware of the facts. Instead of fighting and creating even stricter lines between groups of people, we must understand one another. Every impassioned person believes that they are fighting for what's right, whether or not that is true in reality. It is our job as humans to teach each other the truth.

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