Argumentative Essay On Social Media

Everyday, billions of people read websites, magazines, newspapers, or watch television segments so they are informed on what is happening in the world. The news is something that so many people rely on and check constantly. What people aren’t aware of however, is that so much of what they are being told is a lie. False news is a growing and constant issue in today’s society. Fake news spreads rapidly, changing people's views on the world constantly. However, putting an end to this media trend has proved to be a struggle.

Thesis: Dissemination of news through social media allows for rapid distribution and incredible accessibility, but can lead to decreased understanding, stifled discussion, and even the propagation of fake news stories.

There are newspapers (such as the “National Enquirer”) renowned for their fictitious (although admittedly attention-grabbing) headlines, yet we hardly hesitate to assume the information is fabricated. On the other hand, when our trusted news sources present their stories, many automatically assume the information is true, which is why “[e]rroneous reporting by established organizations is a bigger threat than

As technology has advanced and people have become more connected through social media, news has been able to spread further and faster than ever before, leading to a more informed society. However, while news is expected to be correct and accurate, when it is flawed, real world consequences occur. The first and most understandable reason that news is flawed is that it is rushed. Competition has been introduced to the mainstream media in the form of social media. However, as Molly Wood from cnet puts it, “It's fast, but it's bad.” Known as breaking news, these rushed stories are generally inaccurate as they are being reported before the events have fully unfolded. Information is gathered

Whether it is news channels on the television or whether it is Twitter and Facebook news, the public will always have a way to find out current reports. Since society has become so dependent on technology, a greater amount of individuals get their actual news online and especially through social media. As many of the public know, you cannot trust what people online are saying. Since individuals are so accustomed to getting the news online, many of them tend to believe what they just happen to scroll across on Twitter and Facebook or any other sort of social media. Finding actual facts and truths on the news have become so difficult now, due to all of the millions of different sites and places where we can get our news from. The news online tend to be biased and untrue due to how openly and freely individuals can create their own site and “reports” on current events such as a real news channels would. Social media has just made it more complicated to find the actual accuracy of current events but with enough research, dedication, and using the SMELL test, finding the right information would not be as

With the rapid development of Internet, people easily reach the information from many sources TV, news, magazines and so on. However, have you ever wondered that can we believe in news on those media, or on the other hand, are all news reliable or not? It is the fact that media does not often reflect the truths. Behind hot news, there are strategies attached, especially political strategies.

This has recently become a major concern because it can have detrimental repercussions and affect people’s lives. There are many ways to take steps toward getting rid of fake news. Facebook and Google are taking major action to try and prevent fake news from being spread on their websites. One way they did this is by changing their algorithm which allowed fake news to be filtered out of their feed. Not only should companies be trying to combat fake news from being spread, but also the society as a whole should help this from happening. One way to prevent the increase of fake news is if social media users know how to spot fake news. Some things to look for when reading an article is the date the story was posted, the author, and even read beyond the headline to see if the article actually matches the outrageous headline. If we as a society do not change the way we share and view news, then nothing will change and fake news will eventually outshine the real

Watt states that today’s society, “the spread of fake news poses a health risk to Western democracies” (Watts). Watts compared consuming junk news, too much like eating junk food that it feels good when it is eaten (Watts). He says what if “you only craved cookies and stopped eating nutritious foods. A quick glance at the “Nutrition Facts” on your favorite cookie’s wrapper explained your weight gain” (Watts). Watts explains that the cookie addiction created a health risk, and that if “you wanted to lower your health risk, you could do it by eating fewer cookies and treating your addiction” (Watts). Social media platforms act almost the same way by feeding news addictions through curated streams that match certain preferences (Watts). Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus and many others were social platforms were designed to share content between friends and increase engagement with that content through discussion (Watts). Those sites help play to the different biases and preferences of the reader, further more confirming their viewpoints thus reinforcing their comfortable political positions by feeding news addictions through streams that match the reader’s

The media has been around since the days of the printing press, to modern times where the vast network of the internet is a crucial part of everyday life. The news became popular because people want to be informed of what happens in their everyday life. Over the years, it has greatly changed and evolved. As time moved forward and technology improved, it became easier and faster to spread news and events around the world; data of information could be looked up in an instant because of innovations like computers and smartphones. Unfortunately, at the same time, it became simple to create “fake news” and manipulate the general public. Nowadays, fraudulent or flashy headlines along with false information in articles can be seen more frequently.

A new era of technology has arisen rapidly during the seventeen years already past in the twenty-first century, and with it brings a generation of new, young families. Now, unlike anything the world had ever seen in past decades, people around the world are more connected than ever before and there exist so many new stimuli which pepper our brains on a daily basis; social media. Particularly in the United States, a cultural shift within the careers of Journalism and News Providing had occurred alongside the boom in the tech industry because of the versatility it boasts when delivering. Out of the many stimulus we experience, the news is one all just cannot ignore for now it exists everywhere on the World Wide Web, to our favorite social media

People like to know about current events. If one wanted to know about anything that is currently happening, they can get on social media, watch the news, or talk to somebody in person, and they will most likely be able to receive information about the event. Every time something big or important happens, whether good or bad, news about it will spread everywhere. However, this news is not always accurate. Many people share false information, and most of the time the person sharing it will not realize it is fake. There are five main reasons people share fake news online, the first being that people tend to automatically assume everything they see on the internet is true. When people think this, they will share information and argue that it is true because they read it on the internet, consequently leading others to believe it, too. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to tell if something on the internet is true or not, unless

The recent surge in popularity of social media comes with a price: fake news. Fake news is defined as news or media that has been altered or modified. Journalists have begun to analyze why that fake news exists and why it continues exist. Two authors, Eoin O’Carroll and Kevin D. Williamson, both have written articles about fake news. Eoin O’Carroll’s article “How Information Overload Helps Spread Fake News,” discusses how the media has bombarded us with news stories, blurring the distinct lines between real and fake news. Kevin D. Williamson, a journalist for the National Review, writes in his article “‘Fake News, Media and Voters: Shared Reality Must Be Acknowledged” that the news is not fake; it just does not align with one’s personal beliefs. Both authors successfully appeal to their audiences’ emotions and feelings, but O’Carroll is more likely to succeed than Williamson in persuading his audience to try and combat fake news because the writer presents himself as someone the intended readers will more readily identify with and offers evidence that his readers will find more compelling.

The advent of social media and the internet have created a platform by which “fake news” can easily be circulated. The internet has also essentially created an environment where it can also easily go viral. Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have made the distribution effortless, uncomplicated, and faster than ever before. People click, share and like without verifying the source of information that they are sharing. In some cases, people will share satirical articles from sites such as “The Onion” thinking that it is in fact real news, all the while expressing their outrage at the content.

For example, news about “12 deaths at nursing home after hurricane ruled homicides” by Nicole Darrah. It is updated at 11:24 pm in the New York Post and the news gives the clear information about people being dead in the nursing home after the hurricane hit there and the investigation process is going under. I have also search for the other reliable official’s sites of news and I found the same news being shared. While the news about “Oh joy! Soon, Facebook will reveal what Russian propaganda you 'liked' is a fake one. The moment you read the heading, it seems fake and fictions and unreliable. There is no credibility of the author on it and the main news they were trying to include is not there rather it describes another idea of Facebook’s effort to stop the propaganda and misinformation.

There is a very large audience for modern social-media based news - as there still is for "traditional" quality news, but the public needs to be constantly wary and skeptical about what they're consuming.