Has social media increased or decreased the quality of news and information? My most basic answer would be that it has decreased the quality of news and information, because with the fact that anyone with an internet connection can become a viable source for news and events it doesn’t mean that anyone should listen to them( Like the opinions of a blog for instance). Many people use Wiki’s to research a topic or learn about past events when anyone could have edited a post with false information whether accidental or purposeful.
It’s true though that social media has increased the quantity of news and information outlets which logically means there could be more reliable sources of information through social media then through outlets like television or radio. There is an immense amount of news and sources that people can search through to find reliable and accurate answers with a variety of different opinions and biases that allow the reader to gain more knowledge of a subject then if they were to just watch FOX or CNN for all of their news. But I do not believe that this large and varying ocean of information makes the QUALITY of the news and information we are viewing.
This brings me back to the fact that there are probably thousands of people who make light of or spread false news through social media tools. I personally check Yahoo.ca news everyday just because it’s so much quicker and easier to scroll through a series of news headlines and click the link to an article to get the entire story from a trusted and employed author then sit through or wait for a story you want to see or hear on TV. If someone gets their news from social media they should be sure to double check the facts and authenticity of the story. Just because there are many more sources of news and information through social media, it doesn’t mean that the quality of those sources is any better.
