We are all ‘the media’
An open letter to everyone
Consider this a wake-up call.
We are all the media. With unrestricted access to the Interwebs and constant connection to other people through social networking apps/sites, information spreads more quickly than norovirus at a Chipotle.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope, YouTube — these tools shape the way we consume news.
We see things as they happen now. We hear about events immediately upon logging on or signing in, a process technology has shortened to the mere tap of a button. Many of us even receive text updates from news organizations to stay in the loop.
Advancements in technology may have progressed the rate at which we consume news, but that doesn’t mean they’ve progressed the accuracy or reliability of the information in question. That’s where we* come in.
*By we, I mean all of us. Like, all humans: the collective we.
The problem
Now that we’ve all become members of the media — a great power, one might say — we must accept the responsibility that comes along with it. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard than we would a kitten who’s figured out how to text your ex the knife emoji from your iPhone. We may not be journalists, but a single Facebook post or YouTube video can have just as much of an effect on your community as a New York Times front-page editorial.
What a time to be alive, huh?
As Farhad Manjoo states in his NY Times piece, the Islamic State is using the Internet to recruit members and convert the impressionable to radical Islam. While this is perhaps the most dangerous corner of the Interwebs, ISIL’s extremist propaganda isn’t the only of its kind online.
“The extremists of all stripes are ascendant, and just about everywhere you look, much of the Internet is terrible.”
And with more and more terrible content being produced and shared daily, the Internet isn’t getting any less terrible. Misleading thumbnail photos, clickbaity headlines, confirmation bias — these all combine to create a dangerous environment for impressionable minds. Think about it: When was the last time you shared something without even reading past the headline? And did you share it immediately because you assumed it supported an opinion you have, without making sure its message and facts held up? (If you answered “Just now” because you shared this article without reading it first, you are both a sweetheart and part of the problem. Thanks for sharing/reading, though!)
Journalistic integrity is an important concept as well, however foreign it may be to MSNBC. If you are reading this article, you probably have at least one — if not several — social networking accounts. This means you are part of a community, a global network connected through information and stories. This also means you have the responsibility to not only share information and stories that are true, but to avoid spreading information and stories that are not.
I’m a proponent of free speech, yes, but opinions are different from straight-up lies. The difference between disinformation and misinformation is intent. Disinformation’s sole purpose is to provide false information, while misinformation misleads inadvertently. People often use the former to support claims that have little to no factual foundations.
Of course, opinions are going to differ. When you share your beliefs on social media, people are bound to disagree. But sharing fabricated stories meant to perpetuate political agendas and ideas of hatred, racism, sexism, and xenophobia is counterproductive — not to mention dangerous.
Instead of promoting bigotry and prejudice, we should be encouraging productive debate. We’re not all going to agree on everything, so we should be engaging in conversations that help us better understand each other’s views. Social media is the perfect tool for connecting with like-minded and not-so-like-minded individuals, especially with a presidential election coming up.
As for the mainstream media, what the fuck are you guys doing? When there’s a “breaking” story, don’t report anything until you have the facts. I don’t care about ratings or anything like that; report the story like you’re supposed to. People tune in to find out what’s going on, not what you think is going on or what an “expert” assumes is going on. We wouldn’t need to be so skeptical all the time if you cut the bullshit.
What the mainstream media can do
Just like individuals have opposing views on certain topics, mainstream media outlets often serve up content to push their own agendas. Sometimes, they’ll even publish an article or air a segment strictly to stir up controversy. Why do you think Donald Trump has become such a prominent figure in the 2016 GOP presidential primary race?
So, while we work on our shit (we’ll get to what everyone else can do in a bit), I urge the mainstream media to do the following:
- Just report the facts.
- Cover stories that involve shootings and terrorism without promoting fear.
- Avoid airing a live break-in and revealing the names and faces of innocent children.
- Recognize that Nightcrawler is a film and not a how-to guide for news coverage.
- STOP GIVING TRUMP SO MUCH AIRTIME FOR ALL THE RACIST AND IGNORANT SHIT HE KEEPS SAYING.
- Make viewers/readers aware that “experts” are only considered experts because they’re on TV and not the other way around.
What we can do
Simply put, be careful.
- Read things before you share them.
- Consult multiple news sources before forming an opinion.
- Don’t be a fucking racist/sexist/intolerant asshole of a human being, but if you must, be upfront about it. Like, don’t let me become friends with you and then have me find out two years later via social media when the presidential primaries are heating up.
We live in a world where people share satire as if it’s real. I know many individuals who don’t even read full articles before they share them. Plenty of us don’t double-check facts because we assume the writer already did the research. But this is 2015 (soon to be 2016, at the time of this writing). Anyone can be a blogger. Or a “reporter.” Or a guru.
We have the right to free speech and the ability to say whatever we want, whenever we want. This influence makes us all part of the media, just as crucial to the news world as The New York Times and CNN. And — as lame as it is to quote this again — with this great power comes great responsibility. When news coverage is 24/7 by nature, our consciousness should be as well. Letting ignorance slide only breeds more ignorance.
It is our duty to read things before we share them. It is our duty to know what information we are spreading via social media channels. It is our duty to know fact from fiction, or at the very least to be skeptical of everything we read and see.
We’re all in this together.
You can find more of Ryan’s work in Human Parts, The Coffeelicious, Absurdist, Life Tips, and The Bigger Picture. You can follow him on Twitter here or check out his website here. He’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading!
