SVC Library: Media Literacy Guide: Social Media

Social Media - What is it?

"If you are not paying for the product, then you are the product"

~ Quote from the Netflix Documentary "The Social Dilemma" (2020)

Use the following links to understand what is meant by 'social media' and its impact on society.

Social Media from Wikipedia (article cannot be altered)
Social Media - Topic Page from Credo Online Reference (access requires a SVC logon & password)

Connection between Social Media and News

The following links are to articles and websites that discuss the connection between social media and fake news, false news, and alternative facts.

Role of social media in news 2019 from Pew Research
'Who shared it?': How Americans decide what news to trust on social media. Research conducted by the Media Insight Project, an initiative of the American Press Institute and the Associated Press - NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Echo Chamber (Media) from Wikipedia - This is a secure Wikipedia article and cannot be edited.

Tracking Social Media

News, stories, hoaxes spread like wildfire through social media. The following sources are intended to show what is on social media and how to determine it's spread and reliability.

Hoaxy is from Indiana University's Observatory of Social media. It helps users search for and visualize the spread of claims ("fake news") and related fact-checking via social media.
How to Fact Check Social Media from ICIJ (The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) - uses a story about Pope Francis as an example
Social Media Fact-Checking Is Not Censorship. BY RENEE DIRESTA. 6/20 Slate.com
Tools That Fight Disinformation Online provides a list of resources for fighting disinformation at home.

Books in the Library - click cover to view

SIFT method for evaluating information in a digital world

Check Your Feed with SIFT (the four moves - Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace)

STOP:

Take a breath, check your reaction, pause, re-evaluate.
Ask yourself if you are certain the information is true.
Don't re-post, use, or share until you verify.

INVESTIGATE:

Look at the source. Who created the information?
Look into who is behind the post and think about why they might post that information.
Try looking on a fact-checking site, Wikipedia, or Google for the name, company, organization, story, or publisher.
Learn about the expertise, education, and/or consider the intentions of the producer of the information.

FIND BETTER COVERAGE:

If checking the source brings you to a questionable place, try looking in some other sources for similar information.
Look beyond the first few results.
Check in at least 3 different places. If similar information appears in several reliable places, it is more likely to be accurate.

TRACE CLAIMS, QUOTES & MEDIA TO THE ORIGINAL CONTENT & CONTEXT:

Trace the content back to the original source.
Check the full context of the information -- was something left out or not included?