By Mars Thera Pope
Facebook. A fruitful and chaotic platform for all passionate and dull thoughts to find their way to numerous peoples screens. Whether it be a picture of a delicious avocado sandwich or a two-paragraph essay about how people feel they were wronged by their best friends, the network has seeped its way into the daily lives of millions. Checking Facebook has replaced reading the newspaper. No longer does the cartoon page of the Sunday paper makes its way around the table during breakfast. Instead, a post is shared on Facebook of the particular cartoon that is found most funny by particular user. This narrows how much the Facebook friends of said user get to see. This can be easily applied to the new trend, Facebook politics. Instead of reading the New York Times or turning on the TV to CNN, Facebook easily pops up on a phone screen and because it’s all selected information, there are no “bad cartoons” to sift through. What users see on their Facebook is only being circulated through their bubble of people. No new opinion comes in, and no old opinion goes out.
One of the main reasons watching the news is so important is because it keeps people aware. How can an opinion be completely valid unless it’s formed on its own, knowing all pieces of the puzzle and not just the pieces that show up on the Facebook news feed?
Recently, journalism has lost the people’s trust. After President Trump’s accusation of numerous journalism outlets being “fake news,” some people feel they can dismiss headlines by saying they must be fabricated. The irony is that an individual’s Facebook feed is much more likely to be fake news than any CNN, CBS, or MSNBC segment. Although Facebook may present links to articles written by a news organization, only that particular article is presented, and the news source may not even be legitimate. It is no secret that underground websites and magazines will make up outrageous stories about celebrities in order to gain views. Those same websites and magazines can and will do the same when it comes to politics. These websites are not CNN or Fox, controversial but credible news outlets. These are websites and magazines whose popularity is probably equivalent to a 13-year-old girl’s blog.
The appeal of being able to stay aware of what’s going on in the world and look at pictures of a friend’s new dog on the same site is understandable, it’s just not possible. Credible news should not be expected when it come to social media, and this includes the numerous rants from any “older, wiser” friends. Social media will never be more credible than investigative journalism.
News will always play a crucial part in American democracy. It is the duty of this country’s citizens to read it, watch it, and continue to be correctly informed. Facebook is not needed to shape a valid informed opinion, just stay educated. Work to get rid of this venomous phenomenon, Facebook politics, and replace it with the factual news that’s always been here for both political parties in this country.
