How does social media fit into the news literacy picture? We asked faculty from the Department of Journalism at Penn State, "Why should young people pay attention to the news and what might help them tune in?" Watch the video below to see how they responded.
We're using social media more than ever
Almost three-quarters of Americans engage in some form of social media use. The consumption of news through traditional news outlets (national and local news TV stations, newspapers, and their online content) is strongly associated with older generations. Millennials and members of Gen Z are more likely to get news from social media content creators instead of these traditional sources and tend to avoid serious news topics, like politics and current affairs.
We love to share
We love sharing stories and information with each other online. It helps us feel connected. Unfortunately, sharing the wrong kind of information can have damaging consequences. This is especially the case with misinformation, which can spread quickly through social media channels.
Why is misinformation harmful?
Misinformation gets in the way of factual information. When we do not have access to accurate news, we cannot make informed decisions. This can have damaging consequences to our health and our society as we make decisions about which political candidates to support, what medical advice to follow, and which issues are most important.
Although our own rapid online sharing may be contributing to the spread of misinformation, most of us are concerned about it. Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that American journalists and —to a lesser extent— the American public view misinformation as a big problem. Another survey showed that Americans ranked online misinformation as the number two threat to the country, just behind cyberattacks and ahead of China’s power and influence.
To reduce the damaging spread of misinformation, the "Pause: Take Care Before You Share" campaign from the United Nations' Verified initiative asks us to hesitate and consider the repercussions of sharing misinformation.
Recognizing misinformation
Misinformation comes in many forms and can be difficult to recognize at first. Fortunately, multiple organizations provide education and guidance to help consumers evaluate and identify misinformation.
Organizations and initiatives like RumorGuard, Snopes, and Politifact examine trending reports for accuracy. When you encounter a suspicious story, you can check sites like these to see their analysis.
Penn State University Libraries provides a News Literacy guide to so-called “Fake News.” Visit our Games & Activities page to develop misinformation combat skills through activities like Clemson University's Spot the Troll, which helps you spot fake social media accounts.
Multiple episodes of our podcast News Over Noise explored concerns related to our increasing news avoidance and reliance on social media. For more about online trolling, listen to News Over Noise, Episode 106: Trolling the News in an Attention Economy and check out Joan Donovan's lecture Doing it for the Content.