Do you Facebook for fun or for work?
Maybe it's a little of both? If you go on Facebook mainly for
entertainment, I'm sure you're not really concerned about the
accuracy of your posts. In fact, many of your posts may be
purposefully, sarcastically, inaccurate. Problem is, there are people
out there who may be taken in by them them, even when you're posting
in jest.
When that happens, they're spread
around, even though there's absolutely nothing or very little that's
factual in them. And that's when things get out of hand. Because once
several people post them, they take off like wildfire, along with
accompanying rumors, leading many other people to believe that the
information contained in them is true.
What's the harm in that?
Well, let's take political posts. Or
maybe we should leave them. LOL Because, while some are true, a lot
of them are trumped up. (Pardon the unintentional pun.) Others are
taken completely out of context. Still others have a bit of truth in
them, which allows people to believe the entire post is true.
Therefore, good people on both “sides” are being swayed to vote
for certain individuals by way of deceitful Facebook posts and memes.
Now, there's this other factor to
consider as well. If you've already made a decision as to who the
right candidate is for you or what type of lifestyle you believe is
best, you are more susceptible to false information that supports
your views. That's just human nature. And of course, this means that
you and your followers may be deceived by your posts.
Folks, just because a meme says
something happened or someone did something, well, that's no reason
to believe it or post it. Doing so just perpetuates potential lies, along with
the political brainwashing that's so rampant these days. That old
saying, “Don't believe everything you read.” applies to the
internet too, you know.
So before you post anything, especially
something potentially slanderous, be sure to do your own independent,
unbiased research. And by that I mean, look at both sides of the
story. Look at the whole story or video, not just a snippet. And not just Snopes or any other single source. Go to
several different sources. And be sure the sources you use or their sponsors don't
profit from the information that they're providing.
For instance, you don't go to the
websites of political parties for information concerning either their
party or the opposing party. Because either way, they are human too
and therefore slanted in their beliefs, intentional or not. You go to
a neutral source. Someone who has nothing to gain or lose by revealing the truth, slanting it or hiding it altogether. In fact, you go to several unbiased sources.
And then, because you can find evidence
supporting just about anything online, use your head to analyze the
evidence. Does it make sense? Does it sound probable? Has it been
legally proven? Does it reflect the history of the individual
concerned or of history itself?
Or does it sound like vengeance created
to malign someone? Does it suggest that they are guilty of the same
crime that their opponent has been found guilty of? In other words,
does it fit the “Nanny nanny boo boo” or grade school behavior
scenario?You know what I mean, right? Even adults behave like children sometimes, especially when they're passionate about their causes.
So folks, if you have any doubts, or
you don't know for absolute certain that something is true, just
don't post it. Because even though Facebook is an entertainment
venue, some people take those posts very seriously. In fact, some
people base their life decisions on what they've seen on Facebook.
That makes checking the accuracy of
your posts extremely important, whether you Facebook for fun, work or
a little of both.
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