Just a Little Research…It’s
not that hard*
Facebook,
Twitter, Pinterest, and a bunch of other places I don’t venture, all are great
ways to spread news and ideas. The problem
is, they are not monitored that carefully so the information is not always correct.
Apparently
one of the ways the Russians turned the election to Trump was they spent a few
million dollars on Facebook and Twitter saying nasty things about Hillary. I wonder how many votes you can swing
spending a few million dollars on social media?
Twelve? Maybe twenty-seven?
Anyway.
The problem
with these social media places is there is in fact lots of fake news.
I see about
two or three a day.
As a public
service, I will tell all you idiots that are too stupid to think for yourselves
(obviously no readers of this blog) how to tell fake news on social media.
If it seems
outrageous, it is probably fake. If it
does not appear on any cable or mainstream media, it is probably fake. If it makes you angry, it is probably
fake. What to do if you see a story that
seems outrageous, does not appear on any cable or mainstream media, and makes
you angry?
Google it.
Just go to
Google and do a little due diligence.
I can’t tell
you how many times I see a story and go:
“Oh crap, Trump is going to be impeached,” or
“Oh crap, Hillary is going to go to
jail,” or
"Damn, eating eggs will make your hair fall out."
Then I google the story and sure enough it is pure crap…Fake news!
"Damn, eating eggs will make your hair fall out."
Then I google the story and sure enough it is pure crap…Fake news!
And yet the
post on Facebook has about 27 comments calling for impeachment, or jail or egg banning!
People...stories
on Facebook and Twitter are not verified.
Clowns make stuff up just to rile people up. Half the time it is a goof without
expectations of belief and yet we are conditioned to believe anything that is
in print.
The way to
combat fake news, the way to neutralize Russian interference, is do a little
research. You see this stuff on your
computer, take about 15 seconds and do your own research.
It is called
Google.
WOW! That is hard to believe!
Google it.
Oh, I see,
it is hard to believe, because it is crap.
Come on
people, do a little research, it is not that hard.
*Oh crap, I mentioned Trump and Hillary, and made an in jest semi political comment, sorry...this post is not intended to be political in nature, comments that interject a political opinion will be deleted.
*Oh crap, I mentioned Trump and Hillary, and made an in jest semi political comment, sorry...this post is not intended to be political in nature, comments that interject a political opinion will be deleted.
Then there are the posts that are so old they have cobwebs.
ReplyDeleteI was once a Facebook fan and am still a half-hearted Twitterer. I quickly saw through Facebook so I gave that up and stuck with Twitter. Which reminds me, I must go have a look on there in case i have missed something good!!
ReplyDeleteUsing a little common sense will usually unmask fake news, too. Unfortunately common senses is not as common as it used to be.
ReplyDeleteTruthorfiction.net and snopes.com exist for a good reason, too.
ReplyDeleteYep. I see it constantly. I tell people - if it pisses you off there's a good chance it's fake news.
ReplyDeleteI do know people who were swayed by Facebook posts. Who told you that? Where did the information come from? Is that a trustworthy source? Have you checked into it? I'm suspicious because . . . That was my mantra for a while. Then I ended up just deleting my FB account and life got better because I wasn't slapped in the face everyday with the evidence that people are stupid and/or gullible. I don't necessarily trust Google as an ultimate authority either,
ReplyDeletethough. Maybe I will start a Cynical Old Lady blog.
Good grief even the mainstream media has put out fake news. You just can't trust much of anything. I do agree that you need to check things out though. It's not all that hard. Well for some it seems it is.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
That is one reason why I'm not on Facebook or Twitter orany of the other social media sites....just this one.....now don't you be feeding me any 'fake news' okay?
ReplyDeleteI rarely visit Facebook anymore for just that reason, it is amazing how quickly a fake story like this will be picked up and shared by the masses. A little fact checking would eliminate a lot of misery in my opinion, like you said it's not that hard.
ReplyDeleteI have family spread out all over the country. Facebook helps keep us in touch with each other. Whenever 'news' of any kind pops up in my timeline I click the three little dots in the upper right hand corner of post. Then I click on "Hide post - see fewer posts like this".
ReplyDeleteOther than Ted Talks and an occasional Amazon.com ad (what can you do!) my FB time is news free! I still get to share the day and events with my crazy friends and relatives but don't have to get all riled up!
I agree with Sandy and Olga up above. You need to consult a variety of sources, and Google has a way of leading you where it wants you to go.
ReplyDeleteGoogle will show Snopes and other sources, especially if it is a bull shit story.
ReplyDeletelast day hubby was sharing with me a news about eating rice as night meal is dangerous to health and i became concerned as after marriage according to this province tradition each night rice are permanent part of dinner .
ReplyDeletei though i will google about it when find time ,i agree we should not trust on such sources blindly as behind each are men of various reasons
Yeah, political stuff is very prone to fake news. Right along with medical "news" - drink organic apple cider vinegar to cure your cancer!
ReplyDelete