In the past 5 years, social media has really reinvented how people distribute, and receive news and other important information. Specifically speaking, news channels, magazines and newspapers have all utilized these websites, and in particular, Twitter. Twitter has really become the one stop shop in terms of news, though its validity is often questioned. It is often very difficult to convey certain news stories within the 140 character limit, so sometimes tweets get misinterpreted and news doesn’t get delivered properly.
Since Twitter is open to everyone, and anyone can essentially say anything, sometimes it gets very difficult to filter the truth from the vanity. Personally speaking, I follow a number of reporters and former players from the NHL to find news, scores and trade rumors. Since there are many people like myself looking for news and trade rumors, it opens the door for less credible beings to post away with their “sources” and in the end, really ruins the validity of themselves. In mass terms, anyone can post any news that they want. It seems at least once a week or more, someone famous “dies” on twitter. Somehow, someone posts that a certain celebrity had died, and other people take it seriously and the entire situation takes off. It really gets difficult to believe things you read on Twitter, especially when someone DOES die.
I personally think that social media has decreased the quality of news, but certainly does not decrease the quantity. Anyone can post anything that they see, hear or believe and becomes open to a mass population. I personally think that if you’re looking for the real news, you should either be very careful with who you follow (actual news sites: CNN, MSNBC, etc.). This is because so many people can post such ridiculous scandals, lies and theories that it becomes very difficult to weed out the truth from the vanity.
By Chris Pitchforth
