What is the purpose of social media, or how to use social media effectively?
Social media are one of the primary sources of information. Simply put, social media is for sharing information on youtube, Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram etc. In the present scenario, social media are an inevitable part of society; people depend more on these for information and to connect with people worldwide. So it is the peak time to check the authenticity of information sharing through it. This is the time to think about how information becomes fake or misleading people.
Are we unconsciously a part of these?
The answer is yes because we can connect with friends and family in group calls, meetings and discussions with smartphones and the internet. People are curious about others and their activities. They follow them to know what their status is. Internet and mobile connection providers give attractive offers to gain the attention of their customers. We are going through different information every day. We don’t have time to check the source of messages. Knowingly or unknowingly, we are also part of this misleading information.
Many people create a story and share it with the public without knowing its source. The real motive behind these is varied from person to person. Some people share these with pride before others, while others for fun. We do not check the authenticity of the information. We see, we forward. We should not even think, Who created this? Why should we share these? Not for waiting for a second thought, we share the messages. We are sharing information and letting others know about the detailed information as quickly as possible. The intention is not harmful, but the result will be dangerous. During the pandemic of Covid 19 time also, much fake news and forwarded messages are there on removing viruses. Our phones are flooded with misinformation. Many of us are running behind the forwarded messages.
Personal responsibility is the first step to saving our society from fake content. It is possible to reduce the spread of misinformation. We can check the messages and their origin before forwarding them. Verify the news before sharing it. We can be the editors. We can also use specific tools and techniques for online verification.