Social Media and Media Bias

I was introduced to the Internet like I was introduced to the swimming pool, thrown in. I had to learn on my own using the fear of drowning as my only motivation to swim. The last few weeks have been an incredible gathering and absorption of knowledge associated with the Internet and social media overall. My thoughts and understanding of how the Web works and the various tools that I can use to carve out my own working process has been enhanced exponentially. Media bias is a fact of the Internet and social media. It garners a level of respect and attention through applying critical thinking when analyzing social media and media bias.

There is great value in having a car and driving it around to get to all the wonderful places you want to go. But, if we had some basic knowledge of how the engine works, the value of the car could be greater. That basic knowledge of the engine promotes a desire to understand how to maintain the vehicle and how to get the best performance from that vehicle. I have come to the conclusion that this approach can be applied to the Web and social media. Michael Shermer says, that people are pretty credulous. We believe what people tell us especially authority figures, adults, books, television, you tube, and the Internet. He continues to suggest that it is because our brains are wired to find meaningful patterns. (1) This is a breakthrough for me because I now understand the force behind why we believe what we hear with no regard for authenticity and encourages me to share the importance of applying critical thinking to the web and social media. The more we know about what’s under the hood of the internet we become more confident in how we use it and understand the media that it projects. Fear is not the motivation anymore; a desire for authenticity is. The power of social media is great and without authenticity that power can lead us astray. The goal is to use multiple points of view and asking the right questions when researching and validating information so that the focus is on authenticity.

As a filmmaker promoting and marketing my film using the Internet, I find it interesting that I had no clue of the tools that could help grow my bottom line. Blogs were something that I completely brushed off as just an opportunity for people to gossip and conspire but I have learned Blogs are more then that. Many people use Blogs as way to market products, share news and create scholarly and intellectual discussions about an array of topics. I now realize that I should have been Blogging about my film as a way to validate the purpose of making the film as well as reaching an audience that might not otherwise feel a need to experience the film. Other tools like web 2.0 introduced me to many applications that I can apply not only to my filmmaking toolbox but also my teaching platform. But I do think that the application market is flooded and too many choices can lead to more skeptics and media bias.

There are many tools to use when exploring web materials. The most important tool I have found that will help me focus my research as a scholar are the steps laid out in the Shermer’s Baloney Detection kit which ask questions like how reliable is the source of the claim or does this fit with the way the world works and has anyone tried to disprove the claim? (2) These sound like common sense questions but with all that an individual has to browse through on the Web applying critical thinking like Shermer’s suggest can be daunting. The detection kit can promote a more confident and more focused research experience and can create a more informed and empowered social media community. I now feel more confident that I can navigate my way through the cornucopia as a scholar. Respect and understanding of social media and the bias that exist within it is a big part of media psychology that I will handle with care.

References:

1) Alan Shermer's Baloney Detection kit video

2) Alan Shermer's Baloney Detection kit