Facebook has always been a website where people share articles and images that support their beliefs, opinions, or what they think is most important in life. But does that mean that we should be sharing things that have no backing whatsoever? I for one am so tired of opening my Facebook app and seeing an article shared ten times over by disgruntled Disney fans or excited political enthusiasts, only to see that there are no links to sources, or the site isn't credible at all, or that the article is actually a year old and they think the information is relevant to today.
How hard is it to look for an underline, a color change, or even a (parentheses) denoting that there is another article, verified Tweet, or other news source verifying the information? Isn't it pretty easy to recognize when you're looking at an actual publishing news site and not a blog? To read the article, you have to scroll right past the publishing date! But instead we let ourselves get so caught up in the emotions created by the information we've just read, that we have to share it immediately, rather than make sure we're sharing smart.
Sharing smart means to share information that is valuable, accurate, and reliable. It means not starting things on your Facebook page about how Disney is replacing the Tower of Terror when in reality it was just a rumor started by someone on the internet. It means using our handy friend Google and our wise bestie Snopes to know that we don't need to upset our friends by telling them their handy new app is actually a scam for human trafficking - newsflash, Down to Lunch is an honest (if annoying) app with no association with the human trafficking world. It means being able to recognize that the article you're about to share about a tragic event that happened in a developing country actually happened last year.
So let's be more educated in how we use the privilege that is the Internet. Let's be proactive in our ability to share information with anyone at the blink of an eye. Let's stop acting like we're unaware of how poor posting can spiral out of control. Let's share smart, and make the world smarter.
