BREAKING: The Coronavirus was known and patented by the US government since 2015 and is listed on the back of Lysol bottles. STAY WOKE.
This is just one of the more recent false news stories that have been circulating on social media websites like Facebook and sent to family and friends via WhatsApp.
People see stories like this and simply hit the “like” and “share” and don’t do any further research because “a friend wouldn’t lie to me” or that they think it is just funny. However, a simple Google search of the patent number or what the Coronavirus is will inform them that it is a family of viruses and the new Coronavirus spreading is just a different strain.
Even moreover is that there are multiple fake news and satirical pages across Facebook that are spewing stories like this across many different topics, like the Facebook page America’s Last Line of Defense mentioned in Eli Saslow’s Washington Post article “‘Nothing on this page is real’: How lies become truth in Online America”, which are up to the reader to determine if the article is true, a lie, or just plain bullshit.
It is clear that in Saslow’s article Christopher Blair is a liar who is trying to deceive people from his page, however, not everyone who shares the posts may be aware of this. Apart from people like Shirley who share it because it aligns with their beliefs, there are people who share stories solely on the basis that it is so absurd that they don’t really care if it's real or not, they share it just for others to laugh. But, then this affect chains onto their friends where some will think the story is true because “a friend wouldn’t lie to me” and others who share it just because it's bullshit.
In the end, after all the shares and circulation of the false stories, in online world or photoshop and deep fakes, and with
61 percent [of people] read[ing] articles on social media sites [being more] likely to like, share, or comment on content shared by a friendit will become increasingly hard to tell if a circulating story, like on Blair’s page or the Coronavirus patent/Lysol story, is shared based on the person believing in it and opposing the truth or if it is complete bullshit.
The title really drew me in and it related to current news. I think the examples of the message about Coronavirus is solid and great. The blog also referred to our reading assignment and I can tell that examples from the reading and Facebook are closely related. In the end the author back to social media which is a great structure and make the blog integrated.
ReplyDeleteYour title was genius, and it fit perfectly to the point you were trying to make in the post. I've seen alot of fake(and honestly racist) stories about the coronavirus and I appreciate you making a post like this. I also appriciate you having a link to the patent number so people can actually see it for themselves.
ReplyDeleteGreat attention grabbing title. I liked how you found an example of fake news on FB and linked it back to the Saslow readings. I also liked how you mentioned that a quick Google search would reveal the truth, which is another problem referred to in the readings: an uninformed reader base.
ReplyDeleteHi Parth, I thought your article was extremely well written! Your title had me hooked from the moment I read it, and the examples you used to connect to the course theme of bullshit and lies are very current and relevant to the constant stream of coronavirus news. Your formatting, images, and links were very useful and very well done as well. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Parth! Like others have said your title was awesome. I liked how you connected your own takes to the reading in order to give perspective. Overall, I thought it was very well written! Additionally, I really liked how the post had a combination of formality but also personal connection. Mentioning that simply googling would clear up mysteries made the post feel relatable and logical. Great post overall!!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do when you see stories like this on social media? I think that is something you could add to your post. Also do you see these kinds of stories a lot? If so who that you follow is reposting them? I think you could make your post a little more personable and talk about some of your own experiences with crazy stories like these popping up on your timeline.
ReplyDeleteHi Parth, very insightful article that tied recent events to the material that we talking about in class. The Coronavirus is such a huge epidemic and to share and post false information has serious effects. China is already censoring information so there is genuine sources. Sharing false information like the article you linked can have huge consequences.
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