People like to say that we used to be able to trust the news we see. That newspapers and TV news networks didn’t have an ulterior motive and only provided the cold hard facts. These same people also like to cry out that you can’t trust anything you see on social media! They claim the internet has become nothing more than a hotbed of fake news and deception.
But how much truth is there to this argument? Social media has been under the spotlight for a long time now. And rightly so. Our world is more connected than ever before in human history. We are able to disseminate information instantly to the entire planet with the push of a button. Just take a moment to really absorb how powerful that ability is. Our world would have been a very different one if the ancient Emperors and Queens could send out commands to their subordinates in real time.
Today we are going to be taking a hard look at the truth behind using social media as a news source. Is it credible? Or is it not to be trusted under any circumstances?
Presenter Bias
The first step in understanding how credible a news source is is to fully understand presenter bias. This is not a new concept. It has been around for all of human history. In the fictional world the term would be an unreliable narrator. Someone whose perceptions and views on a given situation might not be entirely accurate. Often being contorted through their own beliefs, feelings, and incorrect assumptions.
To that end it is often said to be impossible to have a truly unbiased news source. But this is where a lot of people make their first mistake. Biased news is not the same thing as untrustworthy news. It is entirely possible for someone to present a list of facts while still being biased towards one angle or another. This is very common in newspapers and on TV stations.
The first step in establishing the credibility of a news source is to understand the biases of the people presenting it. This will help you be able to see through any biased language and focus on the facts of a story.
Social Media Credibility
So how credible are social media news accounts and posts? The truth of the matter is that there is no one right answer to this. Social media has allowed anyone to share information with the world for free. Which is an amazing concept. But this also allows room for the spread of misinformation.
Verified news accounts on social media, like the New York Times or The Guardian’s Instagram page will generally be pretty credible. If you see a verification symbol on an Instagram or TikTok page then they are generally going to be more credible than unverified pages.
But that doesn’t mean that unverified pages aren’t credible either. There are a lot of independent investigative reporters and activists who share informative and credible news stories. People are often quick to dismiss these pages because they try to boost their page through artificial means. Using digital marketing from GetLikes or buying followers from UpGrow. But these practices are actually used by the big news sources too. Buying likes and followers is an effective way to beat the social media algorithms that often hide news stories in favor of memes or more pleasant content.
Check The Sources
So how can you tell if a social media news post is credible or not? The first step is to check their sources. Any reputable news source, independent or otherwise, will have a readily available list of sources they can cite. If the source is a first hand interview or a personal account from the reporter then you should see if they have any interview transcripts or video / photographic evidence.
This might be more time consuming but it is worth it to ensure the information you are taking in is credible.
The second thing to look out for is how many other news sources are reporting the same information. Crosscheck the information to see if the facts are the same and see if they are citing the same sources.
Both of these steps are especially important when using social media as a news source. It is far easier for independent social media accounts to forgo the practice of providing sources. Don’t be afraid to message the account or leave a comment asking where they got their information.
The Verdict
This is a very tough argument to boil down to a simple yes or no answer. While it is true that social media does contain a far higher degree of misinformation and fake news than other platforms, it doesn’t mean that all news from social media will conform to that idea.
Social media is a great platform for getting global and local news from. But you have to play your part in ensuring that you are finding credible sources and checking the validity of any facts and claims being made.
