Discussion 4 [Yau Fen Nie]

Final Discussion_Do you often take what is on the Internet as TRUTH? I would give NO for my response, it's depends on where I get the information and how trusty is the medium is.
Nowadays, people get information mostly from internet than other, including me. I would rather search for what I want from internet than going out to library, search the information from a huge pile of books. But the problem is, how trusty is the information from the internet. Can we fully believe on it? As the popularity of internet going higher especially social network such as Facebook and Twitter, many people like to spread rumors or some exaggerated information to grab other's attention, they just simply want other to believe and notice the existing of them. But they don't know that how serious is the problem is, the rumors that came from them will spread out seriously fast throughout internet if the news is such a sensation, and this will mislead others to a wrong information, they will get misconception even affect the reputation of others once there is people believe on it. For example, last few months ago, many social network's users across the globe were abuzz over rumors that Hong Kong-based action star Jackie Chan recently died of a heart attack, but the truth is NOT, he is in fact alive and well. At the same time, many people has been fooled by this rumor.
But on the other hand, there is not everything in the internet are unreliable, for example like official news site, the information given is justified. In conclusion, we have to think about the reliability of the site before we choose to believe on it or not.

TOPIC DISCUSSION 4 - FINAL

Attached here is a comic strip entitled "Rumors, lies and innuendo spread far, wide and fast on the Internet" taken from "Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture" by Stanley Baran, pg 324. (You can post this up in your blog)


Do you often take what is on the Internet as TRUTH with our thinking much about it? If yes, why? If no, why? Discuss this in your own words with recent personal examples.