Last week, I saw a post on Facebook where someone was comparing a popular reality TV personality to a woman who had done some pretty cool things in the world of science. The person encouraged people to admire this woman rather than the reality TV star. The claim was that most people probably haven’t even heard of the science woman. I had heard of her. The cool things she’s done have to do with NASA. While I would agree that this woman is a better role model than the reality star, something about the post didn’t sit right with me. As is the case with a lot of social media posts, the information wasn’t all true. The lady’s accomplishments were exaggerated. This got me thinking about our role as consumers and producers of social media in ensuring accurate information.
When Should We Intervene?
A while back, I posted about some of my pet peeves. I would add false information when it is presented as facts is another one of my pet peeves. I don’t like it when people lie to me. Unfortunately, people will sometimes read something on social media and believe it, especially if it goes along with their own belief system or if it seems outrageous. If they can scare people into believing something that’s not true, they can pull people to their side. While the first person posting it is trying to scare people or sway them to the side of a lie, others who repost may simply believe it and want to post something they believe others need to know.
In the case of the social media and NASA woman, I feel like the overall idea of the post was good. Because of that, I wasn’t that tempted to call the person out who had posted the information. Her heart was in the right place, and calling her out wouldn’t have achieved much beyond me spoiling the fun of the meaning behind the post.
When Is an Inaccuracy Too Inaccurate?
I feel like false information on social media ranges from the harmless or mostly harmless, such as the example post, to posts that can cause real damage if someone reading them takes them as truth. Is it ever appropriate to intervene, calling the lie out on social media? We are told to defend the truth. Is it more appropriate to privately let the person know it’s not something that’s true, or should we just let things go, allowing everyone to discover truths for themselves?
I’m actually really interested in people’s opinions concerning this. I don’t know the correct answer. In all honesty, there are probably times when I should have been better about defending truths. Unfortunately, sometimes I just assume my intervention won’t really accomplish anything beyond getting into a social media argument. Then again, there have been times when I’ve said something, I later realize I should have just let it go.
Is It My Responsibility to Check for Accuracy Before Posting on Social Media?
Several years ago, I saw a post on Facebook where the person said three specific things were true. Based on the truthfulness of the first three things, the person claimed a fourth thing was true. The thing was, none of the first three things were true. A simple Google search provided accurate information, which disputed his person’s claims. Had the information just been incorrect, I may have let it go, but the information provided could lead to discrimination and hate toward a specific group in the United States.
I debated for a while whether I should say something. After all, I knew no matter how I phrased it, I would come off as a bit of a know-it-all. Ultimately, I decided it was serious enough of an issue that it was worth risking being a know-it-all. I sent the person a private message with some of the facts, hoping he wasn’t trying to spread false information.
He responded that if I paid any attention to his social media, I’d know he posts a lot about this topic. Then he allows people to make decisions concerning it. Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to his Facebook. This post popped up in my feed, so I read it.
I found his response odd. When I see something on social media that seems a bit out there or seems to lean really far toward a specific opinion, I check the facts before I believe it. I’m not saying this is an obsession, but I’m definitely not going to share the information with others if I don’t know the accuracy of the information myself.
Who’s Responsible for Accuracy?
I would be really interested in knowing where others feel the responsibility for fact-checking lies. Should someone check facts before posting something on social media? Is it up to each social media consumer to research the accuracy of social media information for themselves? Should we just all assume everything shared on social media is a lie? If it sounds good and supports my own ideas, should I just assume it’s true and share it with others?
My own opinion is that the responsibility lies with each of us. I’m not going to post something on social media without checking the accuracy of it. Even if I really like what someone said, if it’s not the truth, I’m not going to share it. Honestly, I’m more likely to lean toward doubting than believing. Yet, I also feel it’s every consumer’s responsibility to check the accuracy. Even if someone is my social media friend, I can’t assume that person values truth and accuracy as much as me. I know some people are more trusting of people. They likely assume the other person has checked the accuracy of statements before posting them.
Are Accuracy and Honesty on Social Media Always Important?
Social media in general is kind of a polarizing form of communication. You get the really great things about people’s lives. I won the lottery. My kid was voted the smartest 10-year-old in the nation. I got my dream job, and it’s even more amazing than I ever thought it could be. Look at this amazing dessert I cooked. Even if those things are true (which they sometimes aren’t), you’re only seeing the good things about the person’s life.
Then there’s the other side of social media where people seem to feel like they have to share everything that’s gone wrong in their lives. I might be being judgmental, but I think some people (although not everyone) do this for sympathy. My boyfriend is the worst person in the world. He did such and such a thing. I broke up with him today. (Of course, they are back with their boyfriend a week later and acting like they never posted anything bad about him). I stubbed my toe, and now everything in my life is horrible. My cousin’s next-door neighbor’s brother’s sister-in-law was involved in a car crash and is in the hospital now. I’m devastated.
Because I am talking about honesty, I should mention none of these social media examples are real. A few of them were inspired by similar posts, though.
Neither the super good nor the super bad provide the full picture. Does that make the information a lie? Are half-truths justified? Is it okay to repost something on social media that seems like it might be true but that you can’t verify? Where do you draw the line when it comes to social media accuracy and honesty?
Final Thoughts
I am actually really interested in people’s thoughts concerning these topics. I am particularly interested in knowing if you should intervene when there’s false information, how you feel you should intervene, and when you would intervene.
