Social Media Case 3: Tom Petty’s “Death” and Death (2017)

Tom Petty's "Death" launched confusion across the country. The internet is a space where anyone can share their opinion on anything and if we trust the wrong sources we can be led astray. The biggest confusion surrounding Petty's death was because people trusted the sources who were sharing the news. It is important for us to not only find credible sources, but to check several platforms to find accurate information. There are many ways to tell if a source is credible. Such as, checking the date, author, layout of website, the website's accuracy in the past, etc. When "credible" sources share fake news, they lose a lot of trust from the consumer and that can be difficult to come back from.

Especially now, us consumers need to be aware of the effects of fake news. Currently, news source's integrity is being questioned and consumers don't want to be persuaded by fake news. This has forced journalists to work even harder to stay objective. Therefore, we live in a time where fake news is at an all time high, while some of the top journalists are writing. It's hard to navigate who is good at deception and who is being an effective and ethical journalist. The reason why fake news is so dangerous is because it usually spreads fast. Something like Tom Petty’s “death” created a lot of emotion across the country, but imagine if the fake news was something that impacted individuals, like a fake missile crisis. It is the media’s job to inform the people, so when that is compromised by false information, trust is lost from the consumer. It is our job as consumers to follow credible news sources, not just sources that mirror what we want to hear. Furthermore, we must check several sources, especially when our opinions are being swayed. The media isn’t perfect, so we must educate ourselves.

Comments

  1. chad.artistFebruary 7, 2018 at 3:49 PM

    I agree that when things like this happen the company loses a lot of trust in customers which can be a big issue. great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. SammyFebruary 7, 2018 at 7:06 PM

    I completely agree with you that it’s important to check multiple sources to receive the most accurate information. I also like how you said the media isn’t perfect and the Tom Petty case is a great example of that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emily HeatonFebruary 8, 2018 at 10:00 PM

    I agree that we need to be critical of the information we take in, but this case seems a little different to me because the sources honestly seemed pretty credible. I mean, it was based on a LAPD report! But, if people had checked more than one source, it probably wouldn't have spread like it did.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflection on Social Media Case 8: Pastor's 10% to God

After a Pastor refused to pay an 18% tip because they paid 10% to God, so why would they pay that tip to the server, the receipt was posted on Reddit and resulted in over 4000 comments, primarily negative. Although the server was fired, I believe the Pastor's reputation was damaged more. The receipt was very hypocritical to many Christian belief's and I find it interesting that the Pastor accused the server of damaging their reputation because they did it to themselves, the waitress just showed it to people. I think this reminds us that we need to be a little kinder and definitely more aware of how our actions affect others. The server was fired because they shared personal information and a transaction of a customer. I think this was justified because that is against Applebee's policy and I think the policy is there to protect the customer. Technically, the server shouldn't have shared the receipt, but I'm happy they did because I don't think people realize how
Read more

Virtual Reality and Social Media

Image
Virtual Reality (VR) is a new technology typically used in video games. " Virtual reality allows developers to artificially create simulations and real-life situations or experiences. Coupled with a virtual reality headset, users are immersed into these simulations in a way that makes it seem it’s actually real."  VR is the future of social media in my opinion. It's common for people to play video games with people across the world, so communicating with others through a virtual reality would be completely possible. It is common for VR video games to include an avatar for yourself and I think this can move into social media because VR allows you to be anywhere without going anywhere. I think that if people create avatars of themselves you will be able to interact with people all around the world in this virtual reality. Consumer's social spheres will expand because they will have an opportunity to interact with those from other cultures and backgrounds int
Read more

Reflection on Social Media Case 7: Anthony Weiner’s Post

The US Congressman Anthony Weiner sent sexually explicit photos to a 21-year-old woman through direct messaging on twitter. Other inappropriate content with other women and minors unfolded. In the beginning he tried to deny the allegations, but with the pressure and stir of social media he came clean with the truth. Social media does create a sphere where if you're hiding something, it will be brought to the surface. Especially if millions of people are looking for that truth. This can effect reputation, but I think there is a more important issue to focus on here. Anthony Weiner (an unfortunate last name for this topic, but here goes) sexually harassed several women. Whether his intentions were pure or not, if these actions were not wanted by the women, this is considered harassment. Social media has created a whole new world for this issue. In the past, sexual harassment or assault has been a topic that has been very taboo and I believe this was because of the sexism that exist
Read more