Opinion: Facebook Is Leading Us To Doom
It was decades ago when information was only available through select sources. News outlets would broadcast information constantly through papers, television, and radio broadcasts with journalistic integrity (for the most part). Enter...the internet.
The ridiculous amount of information available on the internet makes it impossible to verify whether what you've just read is fact or not. From the beginning of writing papers in the 6th grade, education systems make an effort to teach students to cite information sources (except Wikipedia) to back up the statements we put into our writings.
This is a useful skill that gets used daily throughout adult life as we navigate the seas of information.
Here comes Facebook. The once-cool kid that took over the social media scene from Myspace. It was the primary place for young people to stay connected to friends and family. With its popularity, older generations began pouring in to create the largest social media platform ever. This is where the danger started. People started sharing news articles, personal opinions, internet posts, and other information without any evidence to support what they were sharing with their network.
Misinformation.
People started preferring Facebook posts to receive their news, which was becoming more and more tailored to the news they liked to see. If you didn't like an article, you click "Remove". Didn't like the opinion that your neighbor shared in their post? Unfriended. This behavior has spiraled into dangerous territory during Covid times, as millions turned to Facebook to receive their information regarding the virus and vaccines which was often filled with misinformation, scams, and blatant lies. This has resulted in countless deaths and illnesses due to trusting the social media platform rather than government scientists who were made out to be evil villains trying to microchip its citizens.
Facebook information is rarely verified by the user but is taken for face value and spread like wildfire to friends, family, and others. Misinformation is being weaponized by scammers, businesses, and politicians due to the ease of spreading information on the internet.
At the time of this writing, Facebook has recognized the misinformation issue and is taking measures to fight misinformation and false statements as it is literally shaping our society and causing considerable damage.
Remember, never trust what someone says on the internet without doing your due diligence and verifying everything with science. Science is our friend and savior. We can save the planet if we all believe in facts, not Facebook.