Part 2: What I learned from EOTO

 

One topic I found particularly interesting during our second round of the EOTO presentations was Disinformation. Disinformation is spreading false or misleading information in order to influence or change a public opinion. 

In class, we often discussed the way that social media is particularly responsible for misinformation. Many people use social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat as their news sources. Though it is convenient and is at times reliable, using these as main news sources is not a reliable way to receive information. These sites allow us to access stories quickly, without being fact checked, and as more people share this information, the more people take part in this disinformation. 

I thought the discussions regarding disinformation and the different platforms that each of us use to access news was very interesting. It was also interesting to me to compare this with our previous class discussions, such as how these sources have so much control over us. It made me wonder, how much disinformation goes around our safety on these platforms? Though they seem secure and safe, many of them violate our privacy. It also goes with the use of propaganda, and the way that we manipulate people's beliefs and actions through the use of words or art. It effects us everyday and it is important for us to fact check the information we receive and to be aware of which sources are reliable.

Sources:

https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-fake-news-election-20190319-story.html

https://highpoint.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_13174_1/cl/outline