Social: Who uses Twitter? The “outrage” amplifier
Twitter is not good for one’s mental health. Studies show that Twitter (and some other social media) act as outrage amplifiers, creating more anger and more polarization.
Media: Modern intellectualism?
American suburban life seems to regress to a mean of segregation. A 2011 analysis using Census Bureau data found that a “typical white” American lives in a neighborhood that’s 75 percent white. Source: A Tale Of Two Suburbs | FiveThirtyEight A real shocker – the “typical white American lives in a neighborhood that’s 75 percent white”. This is then interpreted by writer Clare Malone to mean that most white Americans live in segregated neighborhoods – in a country that is…
Fake News?: “Florida hit by empty shelves in protests at DeSantis crackdown”
Numerous media reports, all sourced to social media posts, say Florida has food shortages due to Gov. Desantis’ policies. But they are showing photos and videos of empty store shelves that occurred in the past after hurricanes, or one video showed empty refrigerated goods section at Walmart. That actually happened – but it was due to a malfunctioning refrigeration system so food was temporarily removed while the unit was undergoing repairs. “Professional” media sourcing to anonymous items on social media tends to end badly.
Media: The use of weasel words to scare you
From Wikipedia: “A weasel word, or anonymous authority, is an informal term for words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated.” Media commonly uses weasel words in headlines to create scary scenarios out of relatively low confidence predictions.
How to show you know nothing of history without saying you know nothing of history
Some one posts a TikTok video claiming “Baby boomers” never had to deal with inflation and had it easy finding jobs. She is factually and logically wrong, but the media turns this into a viral story, without noting the Tiktoker was wrong. The TikToker demonstrated she knows nothing of history without saying she knows nothing of history. It’s not a good look!
Media invents new scary climate terminology
The Guardian invents a new term for climate topics: climate-wrecking emissions. They’ve invented many new terms that were never used by scientists or policy makers. Rather than report the news and let the facts speak for themselves, and let you think for yourself, The Guardian views its role and telling you what to think. See inside for a link to more examples of media invented terminology.
Follow up: Trevor Jacob and his faked for social media plane crash
Trevor Jacob pretended to have an engine out failure in his light plane, jumping out by parachute as his plane gradually circled to impact into a hillside in a remote area. He then filmed his “harrowing” escape and hike out. He now admits the entire stunt was done for social media views and a promotional fee, and has pled guilty to charges. He may be sentenced to prison.