By typing a topic into the search bar of an app, lots of information about many situations happening right now can be accessed. People will cover a big circumstance based on what happened, how it affects them, and why it matters, all in one 60-second video.
Students at West Albany High School (WAHS) have used their social media accounts to speak about what’s happening today. Junior Emmalyne Ness uses social media to talk about the knowledge she’s gained from her own personal research.
“I follow a lot of resources on both sides. I’m not biased when it comes to [speaking about current events], because that’s really important to me,” Ness said.
Ness tries to spread the truth only. “If you want to talk about the facts, you have to understand the facts of both sides,” Ness said.
Senior Macy Hendrickson also uses social media to spread awareness about today’s occurrences. He hopes that spreading important information will bring awareness to the topics that need it.
“I repost news clips or infographics about current events that are going on. I think it’s really important because a lot of stories are being suppressed right now,” Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson tries to spread awareness about topics that affect those around them. It’s important to understand exactly what is going on within a community that needs attention, and spreading messages on social media brings that attention.
“I post a lot about what’s going on in the LGBTQ+ community because I’m part of it, and a lot of my friends are. I think that there’s a lot of stuff happening right now that could affect us, potentially,” Hendrickson said.
However, with content creators using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to produce content, lots of misinformation is spread. According to the MIT Technology Review, content creators use AI to manipulate their audience into favoring their words. This leads to some individuals not understanding what is truly happening.
“I was there to have a civil debate, [but] she ended up blocking me,” Ness had a conversation with someone she knew from Europe about what was happening in America, but the conversation didn’t produce results. “She ended up just getting very hostile.”
Misinformation can be extremely harmful because it creates consequences that make a situation worse. Well-developed content can help to produce conclusions that can resolve impactful situations.
“I see a lot of people [spreading misinformation, which is] why I value ensuring that my information is true and not false, and ensuring that I do have enough information to counteract that false information,” Ness said.
