How do I know what I know?
Well....that seems like a philosophical question. It sounds like we are going to have an epistemological discussion. And I did study a little bit of philosophy. But simply, I gather my information from books and news sources. I'm a nerd, so I love to read books like on philosophy and international affairs. I get my news from CNN, ABC News, BBC, and Al-Jazeera. I may find a blog or two, but I try to think about the credibility of the source and see if there are any backlinks to any scholarly sources. From what I read, I use that to develop my own beliefs. However, I'm not an absolutist and I feel that my beliefs can change based on new evidence that is presented to me. I don't want to go too detailed into my thought process about gathering knowledge, especially since I know this entry is not supposed to be about epistemology. Basically, I gather the information and try to figure out if it makes any logical sense whether it aligns or conflicts with my beliefs.
What did I learn today from social media?
The main platform I use is Facebook and I don't like to think that I gather my news off of my Facebook feed. But I am subscribed to some publications on Facebook, like Al-Jazeera, the Bleacher Report, ESPN, the Chicago Tribune, etc. I admit that I am also subscribed to more liberal publications, like the Huffington Post. However, I know they put a liberal spin on the news, so I try to stay wary of what I read there. So on a superficial level, today, I learned the parade route and the rally times for the rally for the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup for Friday. Do I believe it to be true? Sure. I actually got the route from a Chicago restaurant's feed, which was linked to the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Blackhawks also posted the events for the day. It's just a small event that does not need any hype or over-sensationalism, so I believe it to be true. Now things can change at the last minute, but the location is usually where Chicago sports teams have their rallies when they win titles (which is rare, I know), I have reason to believe that this article of news to be true.
Just now, I got a feed from Al-Jazeera stating that a U.S. general is in hot water for a leak on a cyber attack on an Iranian nuclear plant. I saw the same thing on CNN and ABC News. Right now, I'll take it at face value and believe it's true. I, honestly, believe in Al-Jazeera's journalistic integrity, but I always keep my guard up, no matter the source.
Is social media credible for obtaining information?
It depends. If it comes from a source that is fact checked over and over, then it is possible to trust that feed coming in. However, if I say something about the civil war in Syria, and I'm not an expert on Syria nor have I been there, then obviously, my words should not be taken for as fact. Also, there is the possibility of photos being airbrushed and Photoshopped, so we truly must be careful about what we pick up on our social media feeds.
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog. Sounds like you take a practical approach to assessing your sources for news. I take your point that you can be reasonably informed about a situation like the war in Syria but if you were to discuss it on a social media site it would be comment rather than hard news reporting. You mention that you go to a lot of news sites like CNN, Al Jazeera, etc. Just wondering if you use online newspapers or magazines as an additional source?
Best,
Susan EM
It is true that your beliefs may change based on new evidence, but also (as you mentioned) your knowledge and background can help you navigate the credibility of news sources. I point this out, because I think we should all trust ourselves a little more. Sure, we don't know what we don't know, but we do what we do know. Sometimes the credible or incredible (more so incredible) nature of a news story stares us in the face yet we refuse to believe it. We refuse to recheck the sources credibility simply because we "know" they are credible. But, as a mentioned on a different blog comment, companies, websites, and writers can change for various reasons; and those changes may very well affect their credibility.
ReplyDeleteTo further clarify...If our gut tells us the source is reliable, I think we still owe it to ourselves to check, check, and then check again.
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteI like your conversational style. Are you going to the parade or did you just see the route on your feed? I too have some similar news sources that I follow on Facebook and Twitter, the only one I usually trust without fail is my local paper because I work there and I consider them a trusted source. As far as social media, if it is a small or simple story(like the parade route) that only needs the facts and I can verify them quickly I usually take it for face value, I do get suspicious and double even triple check facts on stories that carry a heavier value. Thanks for your post,
Ali
Hi Mike, I am still having a bit of a problem reading this blog because of the font. Especially the paragraph about the Blackhawks parade (unless you were trying to keep that very hurtful information away from me!) The only way I could read was to highlight it as the font is black.
ReplyDelete