Social Opinion

 

Social media platforms have become so interesting with 24/7 access to a plethora of information. With all of this access to information can come misinformation. One blog even as small as this one can start a wildfire of information being spread weather it be true or not. This goes especially when opinions can turn into "facts" online. This landscape has vastly transformed the dynamics of public opinion. These days it is very hard to discern what is true and what is not that is why fact checking is extremely important. It is also important to note that the way many algorithms work on social media platforms cater to the user. This means that what the user is engaging with will be what they are more suggested. This create a tunnel of information that only confirms the users own biases. The user is only seeing what already aligns with their beliefs which can be dangerous if they are not factual. We saw a lot of this during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a lot of misinformation about how the virus can be spread, where it originated from, and weather or not the vaccine was safe. There was a lot of people refusing to take the vaccine because some did not feel it was safe from the opinions of others. While the vaccine is in fact safe and FDA approved people were detoured from taking it which only spread the pandemic even further. We need to have strong ethical considerations when so much information is out there. I think that with everything we need to go to the source of information and makes sure what it is is correct and reliable.