:EthRobe

In a recent article posted on PBS MediaShift, a former BuzzFeed intern warned against the hazards of live-tweeting during political debates: “It is easier than ever to find people who agree with you, and to shut out those who don’t.” Thus highlights a significant problem in obtaining political news from one’s personal social networks. The digital revolution grants users the ability to pick and choose the information they consume, and in doing so close-mindeness and political partisanship are instigated.

Though partisanship is bound to happen in any democracy, aren’t we much more likely to construct RSS channels, Twitter feeds, and Facebook threads consisting of like-minded opinions and news sources which reaffirm our own positions? The Fairness Doctrine does not extend to social media; our web-based news intake can be as unfair and as unbalanced as we want it to be. Though mainstream news strives to be nonpartisan, social networks provide a platform for thousands of alternative news sources with biases ranging all across the political spectrum. It is not difficult for a social media user to find a news source that fits his or her own value system.

Members of Generation Y (the current generational cohort) place a heavy value on social media, and therefore are most likely to intake slated social media-based news. The Pew Research Center reports 92% of Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 use social networking sites, and a growing number of this age group consume news via social media over cable or local broadcasting. Another study from the Generation Y-centered research group TRU-Insights reported 52% of Millennials received presidential election news from social media. What’s more, Generation Y has been found to be more trusting of news sources than any other generation.

Journalist Dahr Jamail once said, “Since an informed citizenry is the basis for a healthy democracy, independent, non-corporate media are more crucial today than ever before.” By providing the people with access to views alternative to the mainstream press, social media serves as a powerful tool in informing the American people. However, to be a truly informed citizen, one most go further than simply relying on alternative news. Reflection, research, and studying opposing viewpoint are vital to today’s news consumer, especially in this social media age.

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