The sharing of information in this new age we inhabit has brought with it many new challenges. Being able to reach audiences that you have never met before allows for the sharing of information on a scale unprecedented in the span of our collective existence. How has this affected us though?
Healthy Scepticism
With the flood of information that we have in our daily lives, I believe it has become important to be somewhat sceptical. Do you trust the source of information? Why?
There has sadly been a pattern of media appropriation around the world. I see many videos on YouTube speaking about Fake news and biased news sources.
I can tell you that this is not unique. South-Africa has long been struggling with the attempted capture of our public broadcaster, the SABC. Over the months (Please go look) many scandals have been uncovered with ex-CEO Hlaudi Motsoeneng handling the broadcaster in a way that helps the spread of propaganda in the country.
That is not even to mention the Gupta media station.
Common Sense
People are not stupid! Well, not all people...
As a species, we have adapted in many ways over the years. If you spot a hole in the ground, walk around it. We do not always think about what we are doing, we just do it. Sadly, that also means that people will impulsively spread 'lies' when it could serve the argument. This happens especially when they believe the lie as fact.
Common sense to me says that I have to question it. What is the source? Who said it first? Does it make sense? Spreading false facts can be very damaging so it is always a good idea to verify your source!
Fact checking
When in doubt, always be sure to check your sources. There is a reason we have worked so hard as a species to develop science, reasoning and debate!
