When using social media, it is important to understand what is fact and what is not. So, how do I know what I know? I make sure corroborate the information I read by going to legitimate websites to find out if the information is believable. Let's say I want to look up something about historical artifact. Most would go to Wikipedia. It is a quick website to go to find information. It is important to know that anyone can alter Wikipedia. If this is the case, if I am looking for historical information that is accurate, I would go to a website associated with credible, accurate and reliable information. I might go to the Smithsonian website instead. Why? Because this organization has a record of credible, accurate and reliable information. According to Kovach and Rosenstiel (2010) , I need to make sure that, as I use social media websites, I should filter the information to make sure I develop a balanced view.
One social website that I visit regularly is Linedkin. Today as I visit Linedkin, I learned that this professional website is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. I know this it is true because I found the company on the New York Stock Exchange - a reputable website (Stock LNKD -Stock price: LNKD (NYSE) $168.40).
I believe that we all are responsible for discerning what is credible on social media websites and what is not. We need to teach our children how to be discerning. If not, we are destined to be a gullible, ignorant society.
Carole
