The information disclosed in social media, television, radio and other media are mostly paid, and not always true.
However, people fully rely on this information. Thus, a disclosed and replicated lie becomes true, while a truth can become a lie.
Indeed, it is not necessary to support social media, so I had never the intention to become a member of Facebook or other communities. Soch things eat valuable time. I spend my time with better things.
Hein
Interesting provocative view. I think one could model more accurately the trust of media by people as follows:
-trusted media
-somewhat trusted but partially biased media
-not trusted media.
This trust is further specified as being relative to news categories.
I have observed several examples:
-1) in a country A, the most prestigious air carrier a has been observed to carry out a Transatlantic flight on 3 engines and the 4th out of order from take-off. This was a clumsy flight, and it had to land 400 km earlier than its destination. The same aircraft experienced the same problem only weeks later between Asia and Europe
-the news was reported in every large country but not in country A of carrier a. This shows a bias of media (otherwise trusted) in country A, hiding information to protect company a, maybe?
2) In country B, medias (otherwise trusted) have raised protests against country C because country C had formulated requirements for its companies headquartered in C to continue commercial operation in country B.
The media unanimously claimed C should not interfere, and none quoted (link) the source white paper issued by country C. Honest readers might then have seen that such requirements were business as usual, and no outrage was actually justified.
Bias again... From otherwise trusted media.
It's even more interesting to look at accurate information cases from otherwise noisy channels, where news should not normally be trusted.
To say that lying from the subjective supplies of human truth does not only mean that it is universal in the human race, but also that it is necessary for its existence and the preservation of its life (even lying has value), says Voltaire. In this regard, Nietzsche, the philosopher who founded the culture of lying, goes so far as to state more than once and on more than one occasion that without the misconceptions, imaginative images, and unrealistic illusions, life seems impossible and despicable, even the science itself is inconceivable without legends and metaphors.
The role of Media is very significant in broadcasting the news and information. But a serious attention of sensing board is recommended to disseminate truth and independent reporting.
social media is the only way of that people can receive information and entertainment
I'm enjoying the controversies and the different views. But, I agree with the Hein Retter
Marwan Khaleel Yousif
Yes, learning to renounce what everyone has (and finds good) in order to go one's own morally demanding way makes one lonely towards the masses. But you can still find enough like-minded people today - and many women, often with children, chose that way.
Hein Retter
Brilliant placement Mohamed A Etman
, we can not generalize, because ethics must be one of the fundamental and universal principles. But it is not always taken into account.
I rely on European news sources which are not biased and report the whole story by professional reporters. The N. American news have been screened, maybe half are allowed the rest not included or altered by mostly non-professional reporters.
The French Sociologist Jean Baudrillard in his classic book “Simulation and Simulacra” argued that media primarily creates an impression of underlying reality which may or may not be true. Many of us who do not find ways to place our own filter of truth to news and views presennted in the media start believing in and living in an alternative reality. Irony is in most situations it is difficult to separate reality from simulacra of it.
people always want something away from normal/ routine
this is human psychology we all are interested in others life rather than ours we believe in stories rather than truth...as truth is always bitter!
whether its news, movies, sports, politics ...they want which is exciting rather than the normal stuff.
No one wants how much net practice Virat Kohli did and how could he make so many runs in match rather they want where he has gone to vacation with Anushka.
People want to be updated. Therefore, they depend on available media.
Not all news on media is false. They always remain the only sources reliable and accessible to millions of people around the world. Alot of the news we hear and see is true. People, on many occasions, can identify what is true from what is false and misleading.
This discussion has the main purpose to emphasize that we researchers should guard against incorrect / false information, and know the validity of information available, especially in social media.
It is essential the critical view always questioning, validating the information accessed, always worrying about legal norms and ethics.
Nazia Asad, We can not trust social media, we have to validate information, worry about ethical issues when publishing some subject, always look for reliable sources. We can not be at the mercy of incorrect information.
In my perception this critical questioning met the proposed objectives.
The main purpose is to broaden the view of researchers on the precautions to be taken when dealing with sources of secondary information, especially in social media.
Agreed respected , João Batista Ferreira,
Developing a course grid on information/digital literacy, after conducting needs assessment survey; here are some links that might be useful.
(Horton, F. W. (2007). Understanding information literacy: A primer.)
(Introduction to Information Literacy Education | Request PDF. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292906167_Introduction_to_Information_Literacy_Education [accessed Oct 17 2018])
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BAfs_oDevw
TEDx Talks)
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAApvHZ6XE
TEDx Talks )
Dear João Batista Ferreira this is a complicated question. Information is needed. But that should not be filtered or should not be fake news. Some Dutch newspapers are checking facts, comments from others who are checked. Other Dutch papers are working with a local (Syrian, Turkish, Afghan etc.) and Dutch correspondent. The results of the later working style might be less filtering. In order to produce "true' news society needs a new methodology. Let me give an example. Frankopan book about Silk roads is using a perspective of 4.000 years. Most history books for instance are starting at the first world war, a classical western perspective that simple ignores wars outside the west often committed by the west. A correct answer should be given by the scientific community. My answer is not more than a stone in a pond. All the best, Carl
They do when they don't have an alternate means of getting information.
As a former member of local TV news media (34-years as a videographer/editor/mobile uplinker), I witnessed all-to-often when a journalist chose to be lazy and not put forth the effort required to search out the facts. Regularly, I would work to change this attitude while on assignment. There are often several sides to any story- truth can be difficult to discern. One must find sources of information you can trust- and verify, when possible, before coming to- and reporting conclusions.
It is quite right seen, I think that we don't need so many channels for the informations round the world News in TV, radio, newspaper, smartphone etc. we have. The more the same news are repeated on several channels the more I get a feeling of boredom. Therefore people should renounce from time to time most media channels and access.
The truth promoted by right wing media in the United Stayes (e.g. Fox News) vs. those projected by the left wing media (e.g., CNN News) seem like realities from emtirely two different worlds even when discussion is on the same event. That is a clear example that there adifferent realities created by competing interests of media houses; none of them may touch the underlying true reality.
That is the problem of education ; in fact teachers do not know that information disclosed in social media, television, radio and other media are mostly paid, and not always true. And so their students.
Because they provide us with information about what is going on around the globe; even though, sometimes this information might not be very accurate and might be used to brain wash the people, and spread propaganda.
I would add that a great deal of information is produced by companies through press conferences and press releases where journalists simply pick up the main topic and report in on their paper/social media account/blog etc.
From one side, people relies on this process as they don't have more alternate options to get information, from the other there is not enough independent journalism that gets visibility. Therefore, lies (can) become truths that spreads on social media
Very important question. Media plays the major role in supporting news. However, each media has its policy, so, news are carefully and accurately shaped and broadcasted from each media. To know about truth, I suggest to collect news from all interested media, then make some differentiation of news from each media by the policy of that media, then make some cross correlation of results, finally, make some auto correlation of resulted news and integrate them over some period of time, by this, we may arrive at the closest news to truth !!
This is so that they can keep up to date on happenings around the world much of it is depressing. These days it is difficult to distinguish facts from made up stories. Perhaps stricter controls should be put in place and fact checking software and apps installed before anything titled "news" is posted online. The BBC continues to remain an authentic source of information for me.
I agree with the opinions expressed recently, but I would like to point out that the leading importance of the media for what we call a "fact" or which is presented in this way by the media is firstly no longer controllable, and secondly its truth value only exists in the agreement of the majority of opinion-forming media. Thus the classical concept of truth, which elevates the conformity of our thinking with "being" or reality, loses its validity. Truth is produced, today essentially by the media. Now this was already the case 50 years ago. Today, through "trolls" and "fake news", we have a corruptation of the concept of truth, which did not exist to this extent before. The consequence is that the media lose value because their truth value has become questionable. Above all, they generate excitement, tension and the need to maintain the tension. This creates dependency. The media are now only a stage for advertising to make people dependent, and they are a stage for the personality areas that culture displaces: Aggression and sex. If this is presented to the viewer in a moderate, balanced form, as the classic crime thriller does, then it satisfies the moment of tension that love (sex), aggression (conflict) and aesthetics generate in such a way that people simply want to serve their visual stimulus patterns. This begins in early childhood.
Once again I say: Whoever is capable of strongly restricting this media offer and communicates more orally or in writing (but not via social media) has more to gain from life.
Hein Retter
Social media are of great relevance for sharing information and knowledge. The reliability of the information depends on the online environment in which they are embedded.
Researchgate is social media and I rely on shared information and knowledge
It seems people get easily used to being told what is a fact. On those grounds, they apparently look for “authorities” that will supposedly tell them what to trust or not. Mainstream media has been occupying that position for a long time. It’s beginning to change in many countries, though. That is the case of the USA and Brazil. I’d like to hear about other countries where this scenario is also changing.
Although mass media are the only source of information, but comparing same news from different mass media sources can help in identifying whether you are getting lie or truth in the news.
The nature of human behavior leads people to follow scandal and non-stereotypical news and ignore the usual news. The reason for this behavior is that goodness and happiness exist in man, goodness is slow and self-motivated, while evil stimulates quickly and externally. Therefore, the psychological readiness to receive false and exciting news is greater than Psychological readiness of the usual news. As a result, the media exploit this psychological trait to promote lies
There is no other way to keep the pace with the rapid unfolding of events in the globalizing world we are living in other than following mass-media. The point, however, is to be able to select, corroborate and critically assess the information provided in order to avoid manipulation and disinformation. This is why reading books, although might seem obsolete, is probably the best way to develop critical thinking.
Dear readers of this blog. But I think that we as scientists also have a responsibility. Very often scientific material is explicitly or implicit used in polarized discussions on TV, papers and social media. At least half of medical and social sciences research can not be replicated. Scientists are suggesting new solutions: a) using Bayesian statistics, and b) publishing the research model and the SMART translations of concepts in advance (in order to get a digital stamp). The last solution prevents P-value cherry picking. I hope that you like these proposals. All the best Carl
Man is one of the most curious creatures in the world. His far superior intelligence can only be applied meaningfully through explorative behaviour. The play behavior, which is determined by risk and curiosity, forms the developmental psychological basis to have interest in new things. The media overload people not only with new information. Because access to information is usually open to all media, the greater proportion of allegedly new information is only a repetition of what other media also report.
I see that many tend to be overcritical with regard to the media. However, we simply cannot witness or verify everything on the ground. At the same time, whether we like it or not, we live in a postmodern, globalized world and we need to keep us informed. The key, as I see it, is to select, compare, and critically assess the information we get from the media, because there is no way to curtail the increasing flux of information which invades our lives. (Unless we decide to return to the nature and live a secluded life.)
Walk into nearly any newsroom today- and you will find the numbers of staff working in them to be far smaller than there were a decade ago. (Repeat for two or three decades.) This may be due to many factors, but as readership and viewership numbers decline- needed cuts have had to be made throughout the industry- just to try to maintain budgetary controls.
Corporate or governmental news releases can too often be taken as fact, especially in this day of lowest common denominator journalism by (and I hate the generality that follows) over-worked staff just trying in some cases to fill holes in the news product. Often, an item reported as fact on one outlet- will be treated as fact by other outlets, causing a domino effect.
Care needs to be taken by every news/media professional to maintain due diligence before using releases meant in many cases to market a product- or idea- as fact. This is the only way to maintain the public's trust- the most valuable thing a reporter or media outlet can have.
Because we all seem to believe the hyper reality created by the media. Media, particularly electronic media, has grabbed us all like nothing else has. They dominate our information sources.
Desire to stay ahead of the others would also be one of the reasons.
People believe in the Media not knowing that the media is on control and manifest broadcast.
Hein Retter , thanks for bringing a smile on my face with your response. :)
Like the philosophy rule: (a) All dogs rely on media; (b) Man is curious like dog; (c) therefore man relies on media.
Best regards
Why do people rely on news and media releases?
Think we can't stop these convenient, inbound, available news, social media, Internet etc. But we - as recipient of any information needs to do our due diligence / do our part of sanity check / review or at least educated guess before accepting / passing on the information to others. This approach is analogous to the way we do research i.e. we can't take anything at its face value but do our best to look for empirical evidence to support the claim.
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