Media and the Information We Consume

by Freddy Foshay

Media is something everyone will consume during their lifetime. We live in a generation where information is available at the tips of our fingers, and it is challenging to not be aware of the knowledge before us. We have many ways in which we can acquire information: television, websites, social media, and cell phones are just some of the ways that we can gain access to information from around the world. We have mainly moved away from physical media and instead consume media on a digital platform. While this allows us to access information readily, it also leaves room for problems such as misinformation. Anyone can post information on any platform without the need to cite sources or explain the context of said post. There is plenty of information available for us to read and examine, but we must be diligent with regard to the information we consume. Nowadays, we have to take into account where the information comes from, as well as who posts the information.

During a time when many have plenty of free time on their hands, it is common now to surf the web or watch television for the latest scoop in the world. We can spend countless hours mindlessly scrolling through our feeds and stare at the screen until our minds go numb from the information. I’m sure everyone who had a mobile phone or access to the internet heard about the ban of Donald Trump’s Twitter account. Twitter stated in their blog post that the information posted from @realDonaldTrump needed to be erased “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” On January 8th, 2021, two days after the storm in the capital, Trump tweeted how he would not attend the inauguration and how the people who voted for him have a giant voice and America needs to be made great again. Twitter cited how this went against their Glorification of Violence Policy, which aims to prevent the glorification of violence that could inspire others to replicate said violence. It was hard during that time to pick apart what everyone was babbling about. Fingers were being pointed at people during the time and words were being thrown about with reckless abandon. Lies were being spread during this time, and if you were careless, you could read information that was false and untrustworthy. Take a look at Covid-19 for example. There was a post on Facebook about a healthcare worker who apparently passed away after the administration of the vaccine. But the real reason was an allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. All it takes is a couple groups of people to wrongly interpret the situation and there can be a wild fire of misguided information.

However, not all news in the world needs to be examined with a critical eye or with a grain of salt. The spread of information is a beautiful thing and is one of the greatest achievements that humanity has been able to obtain. Not every media site needs to be examined to make sure news is true and reliable. Cautionary steps should be taken when reading articles and such that are not reviewed and can contain unbridled opinions from non-experts. Media can be consumed for an enjoyable time and shouldn’t be discouraging or mentally draining.

In a world where information can be passed on at the drop of a hat, it is challenging to remain ignorant to the information that is being passed on. Anyone can say anything that they feel and there is nothing legally that can be done to stop said person from doing such. Everyone should be mindful of what article they click on about the latest substance that holds a too-good-to-be-true aura. In a time when one can post whatever they want, people should practice diligence and know when to take something to heart or skip over the next few lines. Information is all around us and we would have to be blind to ignore it passing by. No matter the way you receive the passing information, it never hurts to take a step back and reevaluate what you are truly looking at.