User:M Zick1/Media (communication)

Fact-checking and news literacy

Instagram has also created a way to potentially expose "fake news" that is posted on the site. After looking in to the site, it seemed as more than a place for political memes, but a weaponized platform, instead of the creative space it used to be. Since that, Instagram has started to put warning labels on certain stories or posts if third-party fact checkers believe that false information is being spread. Instagram works with these fact checkers to ensure that no false information is being spread around the site. Instagram started this work in 2019, following Facebook with the idea as they started fact checking in 2016.

Social Impact

Online bullying is labeled now as cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is, "bullying that occurs through the use of electronic communication technologies, such as e-mail, instant messaging, social media, online gaming, or through digital messages or images sent to a cellular phone." These aggressive online comments are a large problem in today's age of social media. Cyber bullying can be difficult to control online as any individual can hide behind a screen. This part of social media can have a negative effect on society and on social media users in general. Because due to the fact that it might be someone unknown online, it could also be a person that is directly in a social media user's life, who does not speak on their feelings and chooses to say these words through a screen.

Social Impact

During the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, students were forced to complete online learning when schools shut down, and had no face-to-face communication with educators besides the internet and zoom calls. For students who did not have much technology knowledge, or use of WiFi and internet at home, this created a problem. Schools loaned out devices to help the students, but if there was not support from parents to have the children finish their work, there was not much that could be done. The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on students and their education, creating a challenge for learning in this generation. While there were benefits from students learning more about technology, this hindered their use of real-life communication skills.