There is no doubt that social media has transformed the way information is received, consumed and shared. In the past, people relied mainly on radio, television and to some extent, the newspapers. That meant a delay in receiving information as it took some time before these outlets could relay information.
With the advent of social media however, information can now be shared on real time basis. As events occur, the information is disseminated immediately. There is what is now referred to as citizen journalism and information spreads as rapidly as the events occur.
True, there was a disadvantage of delay in the dissemination of information in the past, but it had the advantage of being reliable most of the time. Journalists worked very hard to ensure that whatever information is relayed on radio, television, or the newspapers is vetted and verified before it goes out to the public.
Of course there used to be instances where wrong or inaccurate information was sent out but those were the exceptions. As such, people believed in whatever they read on newspapers or heard on the radio or television. They knew that the people who worked in those outlets would have done the necessary checks before sending it out.
The disadvantage of social media however is the fact that anybody with a smartphone can send out information from anywhere in the world. This is sometimes raw, unfiltered information which could – and is often – misinterpreted by its consumers. This situation poses several challenges to society.
Firstly, it makes the work of journalists much more difficult as there is stiff competition in the dissemination of information. When untrained people enter the fray of spreading information simply because they have a smartphone and access to online platforms, journalists in general are blamed for any misinformation that is shared.
The other challenge it poses is the fact that one’s image can be tarnished so easily by a person who wishes one some ill or holds a grudge against one. It is common to see people fabricate stories about a person whom they dislike just to tarnish their image. The people who read such information have no way of verifying the accuracy and many will just believe it.
Many people simply share whatever comes to their attention without taking time to think of its consequences. This can be bad for the reputation of the people concerned. They form opinions about those people when they don’t know anything about the person. It is necessary to take one’s time to try to verify a story before sharing it.
