Cameron Downer
2/25/18
ENG 112
Truth Importance
Is the truth really important? If the truth was not important then what is the point of telling the truth or having trust? This very question follows our ethical code as humans as to whether or not we should lie to someone or tell them what actually happened, the truth. Then the opposite side of this point of view would be who should we believe and also how do we know what they are telling us is what actually happened. You simply do not know if what was told was true or fake news. This can become a problem when we go into political, economic, or world news. Therefore, truth is essential and really matters so we cannot be swayed by the false information provided and spread by the users of social media.
When hearing news about political issues or problems it is important that you look at what information is being left out or is the news provider that you are reading from bias. This is important because sometimes news providers may sway left or right of the political spectrum and change the story around just enough to make the other side look bad. You have to be very careful to make sure where you are getting your news that the supplier is a non-bias and a reliable source. You can check this by seeing how long they’ve been around, what they are all about, and by fact checking them to other newspapers or sources.
Social Media puts things to where you can view them that may not be your side of the story or something that makes you mad. This is what keeps them relevant by appealing some to you and some to other people. That is why it is so important to fact check your work. They also give the ability to almost all of its user to be a journalist and share news and stories. This becomes a problem mostly because they do not have to go by all the same journalist ethics or guidelines as real journalists. Therefore, there can be more fake news spread then cold hard facts that have been researched and proven. This makes it harder for us to know who to believe and who not to believe. Without looking deeper into news and fact checking one cannot deceiver the truth.
“Our research shows that given the structure of our social networks and our limited attention, it is inevitable that some memes will go viral, irrespective of their quality (Menczer, 2016).” This comes to show how inaccurate the news that you read can be. They pass it on whether or not it is fact or not. If people find it to be interesting then they just retweet or share thinking it is reliable since it is on the internet. However, just because it is on the internet that does not mean that it is true.
The main thing wrong with fake news is that it is lies and people actually believe it. Also, people cannot tell the difference between a promotional topic and a real fact based article. A study conducted by Stanford showed, “Some 82 percent of middle-schoolers couldn’t distinguish between an ad labeled “sponsored content” and a real news story on a website’ (Borchers, 2016). This is not a good ratio because these kids may believe an ad to be 100% true and live by it or purchase an item which could harm them or be fake. The ratio is over 4 out of 5 students believing this.
There was a study conducted on Facebook users by Ozan Candogan and Kimon Drakopoulos. This study consisted on a test that was based on how Twitter and Facebook engagement of misleading ads and fake news. They found “that spreading misinformation poses a business risk for social-media platforms, as users might come to believe they can’t trust the information they see’ (Jacobs, 2018). This not only poses a threat to those social media sites business but also all of the businesses in the ads they show because the viewers feel like they are being misled and that the information provided is not true.
In conclusion, truth is important in the aspect of news. Without the truth no one would really know what is going on and people would be stuck with all of the trickled down lies that have been spread through the news and social websites. Therefore, truth is essential and really matters so we cannot be swayed by the false information provided and spread by the users of social media.
Work Cited
Menczer, Filippo. “Why is Fake News so Incredibly Effective.” TIME, 28 Nov. 2016,
http://time.com/4583475/fake-news-effective/, Accessed 2, March 2018
Borchers, Callum. “A Harsh Truth about Fake News: Some People Are Super Gullible.” The
Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Dec. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/22/a-harsh-truth-about-fake-news-some-people-are-super-gullible/?utm_term=.f1f50e16e622, Accessed 1, March 2018
Jacobs, Rose. “Why Fake News Is Bad for Business.” Chicago Booth Review, 25 Jan. 2018,
www.review.chicagobooth.edu/economics/2018/article/why-fake-news-bad-business, Accessed 2, March 2018