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Social Media And The Misuse Of Information

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Social Media and the Misuse of Information Social media refers to the publication and dissemination of media content such as text, images and videos, through online social communications via easily reached and scalable publishing platforms such as websites, social networking sites and blogs and media aggregators. The social media was conceptualized as just a medium of interaction and virtual home to transfer or extend relationships but today social media has become a platform used to encourage misinformation through unconfirmed report. In 1978, Ward Christensen and Randy Suess (both computer hobbyists) invented the bulletin board system (BBS). BBS was invented to inform friends and relatives about coming events and also to share …show more content…

Over the last few years, social media has gained enormous popularity all over the world. Almost everyone use Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Whatsapp messenger and other social media platforms for professional or social purposes. Social Media today plays the role as an alternative press, which gives access to varieties of information and news materials. Since the invention of social media platforms, the way of communication has changed away from the classical one way or `one to many´ communication to a dialogue, interactive multidimensional model. These innovations are relatively quite young in communication history and the consequences are not yet known (1184). Social media offers huge opportunities such as democratic participation, e-learning, e-shopping, access to information and participation in information sharing. It is also important to state the negative impact of these platforms on our society as it leads to recklessness and misuse of information. According to Idumange (2012), Social media and blogs are important components of journalism. In fact it is a phenomenon that has assumed the momentum of a revolution in journalism. They narrow the distance between journalists and the public. They encourage lively, immediate and spirited discussion. They can be vital newsgathering, news-delivery and information sharing tools. Recently, the concept of Citizen Journalism allows

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