Monday, August 21, 2017
Some Messages never Get Old
By Donovan Baldwin
Some messages never get old, and, it doesn't matter when or how often they are repeated.
However, some "news" does get old. Sometimes we get caught up in the immediacy of the moment, and, feeling we've just received an important piece of news, post it, email it, tell friends at work about it.
Not always bad, as even old news can be instructive. But, old news, presented as new news can be confusing or just plain inflammatory.
It's even worse when it's fake news in the first place.
Odds are, if it's fake news it was put out originally intending to make somebody mad...either the "enemy" or the "followers". Sometimes it's published, or re-published, to substantiate, or add validity to, a point of view.
I often come across "news" that is two or three years old.
Fortunately, social media is getting better at monitoring and editing these things, and, many of the stories come from people who have just learned that somebody famous died...they just didn't notice it happened three years ago!
I know most of us do NOT want to propagate misinformation. We get these pieces of news on the Internet...often from someone we would normally trust...but, they got the "news" off the internet.
Paradoxically, the Internet is where the real information probably is...sometimes hidden, but usually there. Just takes a moment or two to verify before passing on.
Like most things in life today, we cannot solve all the problems, but, we can contribute a bit less to them.
Just some thoughts.
However, some "news" does get old. Sometimes we get caught up in the immediacy of the moment, and, feeling we've just received an important piece of news, post it, email it, tell friends at work about it.
Not always bad, as even old news can be instructive. But, old news, presented as new news can be confusing or just plain inflammatory.
It's even worse when it's fake news in the first place.
Odds are, if it's fake news it was put out originally intending to make somebody mad...either the "enemy" or the "followers". Sometimes it's published, or re-published, to substantiate, or add validity to, a point of view.
I often come across "news" that is two or three years old.
Fortunately, social media is getting better at monitoring and editing these things, and, many of the stories come from people who have just learned that somebody famous died...they just didn't notice it happened three years ago!
I know most of us do NOT want to propagate misinformation. We get these pieces of news on the Internet...often from someone we would normally trust...but, they got the "news" off the internet.
Paradoxically, the Internet is where the real information probably is...sometimes hidden, but usually there. Just takes a moment or two to verify before passing on.
Like most things in life today, we cannot solve all the problems, but, we can contribute a bit less to them.
Just some thoughts.
Labels: article by Donovan Baldwin, donovan baldwin, fake news, internet, old news
# posted by Donovan Baldwin @ 7:42 AM 
