people, who are more digitally literate, are able to detect fake news more easilyand avoid them
Could young people trust social media more because they are more digitally literate and can detect fake news more easily? And older people are less digitally literate and are more prone/susceptible to falling for fake news and as a result, does not trust social media as much?
"It’s hard to know what to believe these days. Even the news on TV seems biased sometimes,but at least I can verify things online."This quote best portrays the emerging trend of doubts regarding the credibility oftraditional media though the latter could still be relied on for information by a certain group ofpeople.
Not just social media, but even the news on the TV can seem biased to people. However, some people find that social media can be relied on as they can verify things online.
"I know there's a lot of junk online, but you can find real voices too. It's just about knowingwhere to look."Here the participant is aware of the fact that contrary to the negative influence of thesocial media the majority of which post fake news, there is always hope to find fresh and unbiasedopinion
Social media has a balance of "junk" and real voices. There is always hope to find fresh and unbiased opinion. You just need to know where to look.
"I still trust the news I get from the TV more than what I see on social media. It feels like TVchannels have more to lose if they get things wrong."This quote summarises the level of trust that older individuals specifically the BabyBoomers had with traditional media especially television. Again, when the participant is sayingthat there are some stakes at play when it comes to investing in programmes for TV channels ,clearly the participant has in mind a belief that traditional media, for example TV channels, areexpected to provide far more accurate information
Older individuals believe that TV channels and programs for example have far more to lose if they get things wrong, and as a result are expected to provide far more accurate information.
However, this democratization of the public sphere is again laden with the boomerangeffect; while offering a platform to minority liberties, it helps in the transmission of radicalthoughts by the minorities and hence resulting in a more divided society
Giving a voice to minorities or people who aren't as heard can be both good or bad.
Whereastraditional media had the capability to dictate what the public should be concerned with bydeciding what is news worthy, digital media has to some extent level the playing field and grantedthose who would not normally have an opportunity the visibility they desire
Battle of agenda setting (determining which issues are prioritized and focused on in public discussion). Traditional media controls what the public sees and should be concerned with. Social media balances that by giving people the opportunity to share the side of the story that would not normally be covered on traditional media.
traditional media can indirectly set a particular trend of thinking by the public as they focus onaspects of a certain story that may be beneficial to their interests while neglecting the others(Salman et al., 2011; Reese, 1991)
Traditional media can indirectly set a particular trend of thinking by the public by focusing on certain aspects or sides of a story that may be beneficial to their interests while neglecting the others.
perceived authority andaccountability of traditional media coupled with the fact that they go through stringent editorialchecks and verifications than the digital media which is often disordered.
Traditional media has perceived authority and accountability - they go through stringent editorial checks & verifications unlike digital media which is often disordered.
The two forms of media also differ concerning the perception that the oldergenerations have towards them the older consumers trust traditional media more because theyview it as more credible since it dates as far back as their time and is closely monitored by theauthorities (Metzger & Flanagin, 2013)
2 forms of media also differ in how older generations perceive them. They find traditional media more credible - dates as far back as their time, closely monitored by authorities.
The currentand relatively unlimited availability of information, particularly on the internet, is a considerablechallenge to the ability of the users to distinguish between accurate, false, and fake information.
So much information on the internet - Which is real and which is fake? Fake news distorts/misleads opinion of society, deepens polarization. It has been proved that people are more likely to disseminate fake news than genuine news -> more unique and appealing to human emotions.
exchange of political talks which can lead toimprovement of political literacy and creation of more thoughtful attitudes
Political talks in social media - exchange of ideas - improvement of political literacy in people. Via methods such as commenting, Direct Messages, Group Chats, Sharing, Retweeting, Reposting, Hashtags, Forums, and Live Streams.
The use of thesocial media such as facebook, twitter and instagram in particular has brought further dynamicsin political communication since they allow much personalized communication between politicalactors and the audience (Bossetta, 2018). These platforms enable the back-and-forthcommunication, while making it impossible for citizens to be mere communicative ‘vessels’Journal of Public Representative and Society ProvisionVol. 1, Issue 2, 2021Page 80-89Doi: https://doi.org/10.55885/jprsp.v1i2.241Abstract. The purpose of this research is to identify the changes that have occurred in the roleof conventional and digital media in relation to public opinion and political participation withemphasis on the comparative efficaciousness of both categories. Employing a qualitativeresearch design, the study employs interviews, focus groups, and content analysis to determinehow different categorisations experience and interact with the various types of media. The meta-synthesis shows the breakdown of trust in their generations, where the older participants trustedthe traditional media established as credible while the young participants were more carefulwhile relating with the new digital media. Another important aspect of the study is the aspect offraming in the media narratives and the issue of misinformation or disinformation that hasbecome virtually rife especially on social media. In addition, the study knits together by drawingthe link between media consumption and politicisation and how in the current age of the digitalmedia there is both enhancement of participation and a problem of conspicuous participation.In light of the findings, the study calls for an improvement of digital literacy and coming up withmeasures to effectively deal with fake news; The study also notes the need to engage in informedand healthy discourse in the digital environment.Keywords: Political communication, public opinion, Digital media.
One benefit of social media over traditional media: Personalized communication between political actors and audience. Back-and-forth communication via methods such as commenting on posts. 2 way street instead of only a one-way flow of information from political actors to audience.