Although I posted this article on the Facebook page, I felt that it was a worthy topic in need of further discussion. Is this rapid consumption of media too much for us to handle? Our society has suddenly become engrossed in technological advances and Internet facilitations, but have we considered what could result from this abrupt “overdose”? As this article points out, newspapers, websites, bloggers, and other forms of widespread communication have all escalated in terms of the speed of their news coverage. These individuals have become so caught up in the hype of media and it’s rapid distribution that they have succumbed to competition. They have now become preoccupied with being the first ones to release any kind of information. News is known or predicted by many before the rest of the public has even become aware of the slightest details of a particular issue. The rate at which news, scandals, current events, and everything else that people feel needs to be reported has increased exponentially. But is this healthy for our society? Although it is amazing how quickly and efficiently we can distribute information as a result of technology and the Internet, it is difficult to pinpoint areas that could be considered a disadvantage in what seems like a flawless system.
It may not occur to us how impacting this extreme and rapid issue is becoming. Nowadays, news is no longer as reliable as it is made out to be. There is such a high demand to keep on top of stories and to be the one to release the latest and the greatest gossip or reports. At the peak of such demands, we are tempted to do anything to stay “on top”, which is where I feel can emerge the dangerous aspect. Reporters and media editors will become so engaged in their job to “report” news that we soon don’t know if what is actual and what is not. This fear and uncertainty of not being able to distinguish between factual and counterfeit puts our society as a whole on a wavering edge. How are we expected to be able to function and keep up with everything going on around the world if we are not even sure of it ourselves? Although this may be taking things to extreme cases, I feel that this topic is something that needs to be addressed and that people need to be wary of. When we discussed outsourcing and globalization, I became more conscious of how a lot of the things that we do affect others as well. We need to have a stable foundation and be able to count on reliable sources if we are to continue to function as a society without the worry of running ourselves out of this world and culture we have worked so hard to create.
5 comments:
I agree that this race to get to and remain on the top can be dangerous to our society. Because of this, we need to be careful about what we are trusting. I think that the rapid reporting of information is not a problem as long as we take into account that being first, not accurate, is the priority. As long as we are somewhat skeptical of all sources, and we do not take everything we read as the truth, the speed of society can be beneficial.
The blurring of what is true and false in our news feeds is very dangerous. Posting any inaccurate information can cause people to have false beliefs that can negatively affect their daily lives. To many people the news is sound; our media sources would not lie to us. Many believe that what we first see on the television is true; an ignorant society is dangerous to have.
I completely agree and think that people should be a bit skeptical when it comes to news or online information. In one of my other classes we have discussed the sad truth that even if say a news announcement is retracted and turns out to be false, people will most likely still believe it. Because after the fact its hard to tell people otherwise.
Blog Review/ Reflection
I think you did a very good job with your blog. We both have similar social networking usage- it is certainly not something that dominates our lives- so it was interesting to hear your perspective on the topic. The entries go into the details of what you believe and how you feel without going off topic and you brought up many good points. Obviously other people also enjoy reading your blog; you have many comments on most of your entries. Although your entries are somewhat varied, the blog as a whole has unity because you relate each issue to the social implications that arise and analyze the effect on society. Good job.
Very thoughtful blog. I find this issue interesting as well as technology seems to just be taking over society. Social networking sites are only beneficial to a certain point but there is definitely a fine line that needs to be made between what is okay and what takes over your life. Also, the issue of accurate information seems to be a growing issue as more people have access to the internet and write whatever they choose.
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