The power of Social media

[Breedlove]

No Politics please , last night there was a story on the local news . They made it out as a joke but it truly is a sad joke . It seems last summer there was a big protest downtown Houston . Two different sides people shouting and screaming at each other . Local Houston news did an investigation prior to the protest and found out the whole thing was created by Russian hackers . They found the originating websites since have been removed and found the bots had sent out 1.4 million hits to facebook and other media. Now the sad part when one of the reporters interviewed a handful of the protestors from each side they just shook their heads . One guy even said he felt duped . The main issue was there was no issue to protest once the two sides were brought together and told the truth .

 

[pacergal]

I guess the moral is Don't believe anything/everything you read or see on the internet.
I use a hefty amount of skepticism, at any rate.

Except for this site, people here seem to be pretty darn good!

 

[Breedlove]

They made the segment as a funny joke but wow . People today can get upset so easily . One of the guys interviewed was yelling and screaming but when they showed him the investigative information he rubbed his head and almost started crying.

 

[Rianne]

It's the old tactic "Divide and Conquer." For some reason it works in this country. Maybe we should pay attention to history.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Welcome to the land of the Gullible, Social Media Land that is. It is amazing how stupid some folk can be in believing anything they read on the social Media Internet. Makes it kind of worthless really doesn't it?

 

[Chuckanut]

The Mueller Report has a huge section describing how sophisticated the manipulation of social media was. It should be of interest to all of us regardless of our political views. People were trained to speak and write like Americans. They started slowly, being calm and reasonable to establish their credibility. Then at a critical moment they hit us with fake and/or exaggerated stories designed to cause division, fighting and hate.

It is a sad commentary on the current news media that they fall for these traps so easily. Apparently, fact and source checking is no longer a requirement to report the news. IIRC, there have been at least three BIG stories this year that turned out not what they first appeared to be.

 

[Breedlove]

It just looked so funny all these people showing up to raise hell with hate towards this other group and to find out nobody from either side knew anything about the sites or the made up report . Now I understand why the old timers without computers seem so mild and balanced LOL

 

[Rianne]

There are 3 people in my life that I will listen to and take seriously what current affair is worth paying attention to. My DH, a very good friend and one of my DB. Everything else is white noise. The news has become a blur of confusion and I'm waiting for the dust to settle.

 

[Gumby]

At one time, these were considered signs of maturity:

1. A little healthy skepticism, especially about stories that seem to fall easily into our own preferred belief system. That is, knowing that some things really are "too good to be true";

2. A willingness to acknowledge that we may not have correct or complete information, and a concomitant reluctance to jump to conclusion;

3. A reluctance to demonize others merely for a difference of opinion. Although they eventually may reveal themselves to be demons, it was thought best not to start with that assumption;

4. A recognition that other people have feelings , hopes, dreams and fears just like our own;

5. An ability to avoid unnecessarily inflammatory rhetoric in the course of advocating for our position;

6. A willingness to admit when we have said or done something wrong.


The internet appears to have swept way all of these standards and caused our society to regress to that of hormone-addled 8th graders. I do not know how to combat it.

 

[Spock]

who fact checked the fact checker?

people are stupid:
"A like and a share will get me a $250 cash card from wal-mart"
"If I copy/paste/post this paragraph denying FB ownership of my photos, it is legally binding"
"Lets all take this FB quiz to find out what kind of potato we are"

As far as "why the old timers without computers seem so mild and balanced"
Its not just "social media". My dad gets 2 inches of BS mail a DAY that does nothing but try to rile him up enough to get him to donate to "Save SS!" and "Get the US out of the UN!". He's given away $8500 to these clowns so far this year and there is nothing I can do about it.
And then there are the "televangelists"...

 

[Chuckanut]

The internet appears to have swept way all of these standards and caused our society to regress to that of hormone-addled 8th graders. I do not know how to combat it.

It's easy to demonize people one has never met. And the Internet makes it all to easy to communicate behind a wall of ignorance.

Just the other day on a local forum dedicated to my community one person got on and basically accused everybody who did not agree with her view of a certain situation as being #$#$@%@!!!.

Imagine, distilling the entire being of tens of thousand of people, all their life experiences, beliefs, customs, values, traditions, etc., into one condemning word.

 

[Amethyst]

It takes decades to develop critical thinking skills, and that's just counting people who want to bother developing them in the first place. Many such people belong to this forum, for example
We don't all agree, but we mostly try to back up our contentions with facts or at least personal experience. Some will even admit to being wrong at times

Many of the other kind were okay with spreading local gossip, etc. Then social media appeared, and suddenly their thoughtless or malicious nonsense has the ability to go viral.

It illustrates the old saw about the "power" possessed by stupid people in large groups. Including the ability of others to harness that power for malicious ends.

 

[VanWinkle]

At one time, these were considered signs of maturity:

1. A little healthy skepticism, especially about stories that seem to fall easily into our own preferred belief system. That is, knowing that some things really are "too good to be true";

2. A willingness to acknowledge that we may not have correct or complete information, and a concomitant reluctance to jump to conclusion;

3. A reluctance to demonize others merely for a difference of opinion. Although they eventually may reveal themselves to be demons, it was thought best not to start with that assumption;

4. A recognition that other people have feelings , hopes, dreams and fears just like our own;

5. An ability to avoid unnecessarily inflammatory rhetoric in the course of advocating for our position;

6. A willingness to admit when we have said or done something wrong.


The internet appears to have swept way all of these standards and caused our society to regress to that of hormone-addled 8th graders. I do not know how to combat it.

Great rules to live by!!

 

[easysurfer]

I think a lot of people want to be fooled at a subconscious level. Look at all the dating, investment and scams there targeting the elderly. Much easier at times for folks to see things through rose colored glasses.

Reminds me of that State Farm commercial:

 

[Red Badger]

This forum is the only social media site that I follow or post comments. Exited FB and all similar ilk several years ago. I don't need to connect, like, or follow. Nor do I have any compulsion to friend/unfriend.

Once again, hats off to the mods here.

 

[Beststash]

As Edgar Allen Poe said-
“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”

 

[easysurfer]

As Edgar Allen Poe said-
“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”

Nice quote.

In today's world, probably needs an update to only believe 1/4 that you see .

 

[ckelly78z]

I'm questioning the gullibility of folks to get so worked up over some internet story. Step away from the computer, and engage in the natural world around you...go outside, and walk, or ride a bike, go to a park....move !

 

[joeea]

Most people have poor critical thinking skills. They are unable to separate what they see and hear from reality - particularly when it confirms their beliefs.

Before the internet, lots of people would rely on experts to explain things that were difficult to comprehend.

Now, everyone has a platform for their views, no matter how ill-informed, or far out. And far fewer lend any value to expertise at all.

 

[easysurfer]

Most people have poor critical thinking skills. They are unable to separate what they see and hear from reality - particularly when it confirms their beliefs.

Before the internet, lots of people would rely on experts to explain things that were difficult to comprehend.

Now, everyone has a platform for their views, no matter how ill-informed, or far out. And far fewer lend any value to expertise at all.

Along with poor critical thinking skills, I'll add that with the internet and social media, it's too easy with technology to manufacture own facts and try to pass that on as actual fact.

 

[HtownRose]

This is especially sad when you consider what Houston is like in the summer - high heat + humidity. And quite a lot of Houstonians refuse to venture into downtown for anything less than a jury summons (they haven't managed to postpone or weasel out of) or free Astros tickets (and even then only if one of the better pitchers is on the mound & a parking pass is included). Would love to see the link to the story - was it a Houston station?

 

[audreyh1]

It just looked so funny all these people showing up to raise hell with hate towards this other group and to find out nobody from either side knew anything about the sites or the made up report . Now I understand why the old timers without computers seem so mild and balanced LOL

No, sorry, those old timers get their news from TV and several don’t seem mild and balanced to me as they are often mad about something silly or exaggerated they saw on TV.

Or was your post sarcasm?

 

[Music Lover]

The Mueller Report has a huge section describing how sophisticated the manipulation of social media was. It should be of interest to all of us regardless of our political views. People were trained to speak and write like Americans. They started slowly, being calm and reasonable to establish their credibility. Then at a critical moment they hit us with fake and/or exaggerated stories designed to cause division, fighting and hate.

It is a sad commentary on the current news media that they fall for these traps so easily. Apparently, fact and source checking is no longer a requirement to report the news. IIRC, there have been at least three BIG stories this year that turned out not what they first appeared to be.

Does the media really fall for the traps or are they active participants? I could come up with a dozen examples over the last couple months where the media has promoted obvious lies that any reasonable person would see through. Anyone who calls themselves a "journalist" would investigate the claims first if they really cared about the truth...especially when they've been proven wrong so many times.

 

[Pellice]

As Edgar Allen Poe said-
“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”

I thought that was Marvin Gaye!!

Anyway, does it ever pay to have discussions about how we sort out truth and falsehoods on the internet - starting with that as a question. Of course, everyone will instantly claim sophisticated skepticism - "I never believe ANYTHING I read," but a little probing, a little followup - "But these days, all of us get lots of our information from the internet ..." can lead to an interesting discussion, at a bar, a classroom, a dinner table.

 

[Bestwifeever]

A firm believer here in the saying, "If your mother says she she loves you, check it out." So I found a link to this story, which happened three years ago (not last summer).

Apparently, the rally's organizers were in Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the time. "Heart of Texas" is one of the internet troll groups cited in Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's recent indictment of Russians attempting to tamper with the U.S. presidential election.

Read more here https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lo...test-organized-by-Russian-trolls-12625481.php

And here https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/26/media/russia-trolls-facebook-events/index.html