Young people are receiving most of their news through social media
Even on social media, it’s still possible to fool a few people all the time – but unfortunately, as more and more people continue to use platforms as their primary source of news, this could change for the worse.
A new one Research conducted by BBC Education earlier this month It has been found that about half of young people between the ages of 11 and 16 tend to believe the news they see on social media – often regardless of source. UK trends are similar to what has been seen over the years in the United States, where users of all ages often believe almost everything that friends, relatives and / or colleagues share with them.
Moreover, a Gallup poll last year also found that young people are receiving most of their news through social media. Although many question the credibility of what they have read, many are taking it for granted.
“Those born between 2005-2010 did not experience a world without the dominance of social media and modern culture. Considering this, it is not surprising to know that such a large percentage of the age group believed that the news was being shared. Timelines, homepages and your pages are a reliable source of information related to the wider world, “explained Sam O’Brien, the partnership’s chief marketing officer. Affise Marketing Platform.
One reason, O’Brien said, is that social media influencers can often be the same age as many users of the platform – and as a result young listeners are more inclined to believe and believe those opinions.
“While some social media outlets will certainly credit trusted news sites for their information, they can share a large number of unreliable, misleading and inaccurate sources, allowing young viewers to accept distorted or even fictional stories and news as true.” O’Brien added. “The BBC Education survey found that social media is the most popular source of news than television and radio, news websites and even more traditional outlets like Parents.”
Where this can certainly be a problem is that so much content shared on social media can be misleading and biased and already misinformation spreads easily even across platforms.
“It’s related that many people, children or adults, use social media as their primary source for news. I understand that modern media takes different forms and uses different platforms, but all readers and viewers must discriminate in some way.” Feed or information that calls itself news, “said Professor Roy Guttermann, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech and associate professor of communications at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communication.
Is it even news?
Social media makes it very easy to set filters and receive information only about specific preferences or interests, which means that most of the “news” of the day may be missing. More worrying is what actually passes for news in the age of misinformation.
“Modern media not only allows users to adapt their news feeds to their interests or beliefs, but also to distinguish between real news and deception or misinformation,” Gutterman continued. “News literacy is important, but probably not something to be fully explored in schools. The news itself has become so political that some people don’t believe what they read.”
In our digital age, like TV, video games and other content, it can be left to parents to monitor what their children are watching – even posting.
“It shows how adults have left home. It’s our job to help 16-year-olds understand what is reliable and trustworthy online and what is not through everyday conversations,” said Amy Bonbright, a professor of digital media and the journalism department at Liberty University.
“For example, when news of Rowe’s reversal spread, I told my three kids – ages 11, 13, 14 – what the events were (certainly simplified and age appropriate), and told them they’d probably see people talking about it. Social Channel, “added Bonebright. “I wanted them to know the facts before watching a video of some TikTokker promotions and emotions. And so, they should have some tools in their critical thinking toolbox to help with all the information overload chaos.”
Will the platforms do anything?
Social platforms have already shown that they have been unable to stop the flow of misinformation to the public, so unfortunately there is little reason to suggest that they will be able to ensure that such content does not reach the minds of affected youth. For this reason, educating them may be more important No. Believe in everything that is on the internet.
“If content is bot-generated, some platforms may be able to block certain types of content,” Gutterman suggested. “Apart from encouraging people to look at trusted sources, legally I don’t think social media platforms have too much responsibility in this area.”
In fact, the spotlight that was cast on Facebook last year only suggests that letting content flow could be in the interests of the platform. In other words, social media can create a world where you can fool all the people all the time.
“Even for social media platforms there can be an incentive to do nothing in this arena because there is an economic incentive for social media because they generate revenue from clicks and the more crazy the content, the more people click on it,” Gutterman warned.
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