User:Drsmith19/sandbox

Social Media Polarization
Social Media Polarization is the growing trends between Social Media platforms and the Polarized Media. With the growing use of algorithms that conform to what you are looking into on websites, the differences of what news is being presented to you on Social Media is growing exponentially.

The term Social Media Polarization comes from combining Social Polarization and Social Media in the use of sharing political leanings that go towards one extreme whether that be the Far Left or Far Right with no room to meet in the middle.

Digital media, especially social media, is turning into a major role-player in encouraging social polarization. This is because social media sites like Facebook can help cluster friends and acquaintances alike into similar circles, and social news sites like The Young Turks can facilitate a consumption of news that is biased by its user’s choices.

A MD named Charles Johnston has written numerous articles explaining the inherent bias that is being exhibited throughout Social Media platforms in the past decade and how it is beginning to divide this country instead of bring us together.

While much earlier work on Social Polarization is from R.E. Pahl on the Isle of Sheppey where he compares life before and after capitalist society takes over. Which in turn brings the ultimate want in need for attention stimming the beginning of Social Life and Social Media according to Pahl.

Media Bias
Media Bias is when newscasters, companies and other powerful influential organizations select and vary what parts of stories that they want you to see. Instead of showing whole news stories in their entirety.

This weakens the credibility of news outlets whether it be through Television or Websites online. Many news channels such as OANN which have been accused of adding political agendas to their news casting. But these accusations have also found their way to more major news networks such as CNN.

Jonathan M. Ladd, who has conducted various studies of media trust and media bias throughout multiple countries, has concluded that the primary cause of belief in media bias is media outlets telling their audience that other particular media are biased. This creates a domino effect calling of multiple networks bias.

While the major thought process of biased Media comes from political issues (far left or far right) as you delve deeper into the root of the issue you can see that there are many forms of bias in Sports, Gender, social economical roles and many more. These issues overtime have been politicized to an extent and are growing into the Politics realm but originated within their own separate field of issues.

Selective Exposure
Selective Exposure of information is a term being used more frequently for people who have their own beliefs and truths imprinted into their social media and internet presence. As seen on the 2020 Netflix Documentary The Social Dilemma the past searches and geographical location of where you are making these searches can heavily influence what the top outcomes are. This is shown as an example in the documentary in the form of asking "is global warming...." varying from saying it is a hoax to it is real depending on locations.

These varying search hits change the so called "truths" based on location and is why there is a growing sense of division of people not only around the World but around the different locations within the Countries themselves such as the United States of America and Great Britain.

Take-ins of News
As we all know the way people consume their News and updates have changed drastically from how things were consumed at the turn of the century, and these changes are showing no signs of slowing down. In the past decade alone people have transferred from watching their favorite local or national news anchor to finding out their information from the first website or publicist to put it out.

This causes false reporting numbers to skyrocket and why on average in the past 5 years alone the number of recall notices on reports have over tripled.

Also a relatively new way of taking in news is through the post links on Social Media sites. These links have been commonly seen on the bottom of posts that have to do with relative topics to todays Social or Geological construct. These links have to do with correcting certain answers that may be wrong within the post at hand.

But with these "correction tools" becoming more frequent, people from opposite sides of the Political Isle are beginning to raise concern of their validity.

Other Biases
There are many other influences and biases that are brought to light during coverages of information, from criminal coverage in the belief that missing white women are brought to the public much quicker than people of other races, to bias in sports and how it is much easier and favorable for sports broadcasters to talk about and promote East Coast sport teams over West Coast. This is because of the time change and availability of games being watched on Television. As most of the sports games watched on any given weekend are played by East Coast teams as opposed to West Coast.

Bias also has been seen in instances referred to as conflict of interest, where the CEO's or Cooperate heads of media outlets have vested interests in other commercial or social enterprises including political parties. In the United States this is required to be disclosed to the public beforehand.

Conclusion
Almost everything in media will show some form of inherent Bias because it is written or made by people with their own personal beliefs and agendas whether their agendas are publicized or not. This is why into todays instant news culture it is more important than ever to keep an open mind and read multiple sides of the story to help combat the inherent Social Bias and in return keeping Social Polarization between our fellow man to a minimum.

Also the holding accountable the media for force feeding the public with news stories before they are confirmed as true. Such as the multiple Kobe Bryant death stories that came out in the first 24 hours. This is one example of the regularity of this happening is much more frequently and it is disheartening to see the first call is becoming more important than finding the truth within the story the first time.