Fact and Fiction: News in the Age of Social Media
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Northern Kentucky University
Abstract
"As social media becomes more prominent in today's society, many Americans turn to platforms like Facebook and Twitter as sources of news. Unfortunately, the platforms often employ algorithms that make it easy for echo chambers to form, cutting off users from one or more sides of political arguments or competing points of view on news stories.
Furthermore, misinformation in the form of untrustworthy news sources or user commentary can spread rapidly on these platforms. This report seeks to understand this problem of social media as a news source and identify an interdisciplinary solution to the problem. It analyzes research in the fields of digital communication and psychology to understand the problem. It also finds an interdisciplinary solution by integrating those disciplines with education, suggesting a public information campaign to make social media users aware of selective exposure, social media algorithms, and how to identify credible news sources. Finally, it discusses how this campaign can expand into the school curriculum."
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2021 Celebration of Student Research and Creativity presentation
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Presentation
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Keywords
Social media Influence, Social media and journalism, Electronic discussion groups