Uzor Odigbo
Maritime media expert. Comrade Ismail Aniemu, has warned that wrong application of the Social media technology is capable of killing users of information.
Social media he said are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation or sharing of information, ideas, career interests, and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks.
He insisted that those who use the social media to cheat, misinform, create fake news are capable of wrecking clients businesses and undermining the good use of the new media technology.
The advent of social media, he continued, has made the battle between truth and falsehood fiercer.
According to him, some persons with larger following who are not into journalism have taken better space on the platforms to dispense outright falsehood, half truths and other misleading information because by their large following, they influence opinions.
“This has been made very possible because journalists and information managers that should feed their audience with information are either slow at embracing social media or conservative about building a large audience. Fake news and falsehood circulated on social media have capacity to cause panic, unrest , distrust and life threaten impacts”
In his paper presented at the AMJON training workshop in Apapa on Thursday, Aniemu said Social media helps family members, colleagues, old school mates and people with common interests to connect, share ideas, celebrate happy moments and even keep abreast with current affairs.
“Keeping abreast with current affairs is the kernel of concern to every newsman (journalist). Because billions of social media users across the globe are likely to log on to the platforms every morning before going to browse any news website, the press now promote their stories on social media. This has become one of the best way to get fast readership and redirect interested users to visit their news websites, share their contents and express opinions or reactions about stories they consume.
“While ordinary users of social media platforms may be excused for some perceived infractions in their mode of information processing and sharing, the journalist is expected to be guided by his professional ethics which include, truth, balance, accuracy, impartiality, protection of minors and objectivity. As a professional leveraging on the social media platforms, he is expected to separate his opinions from news reports,” he said.
For instance, Aniemu said Time Magazine, an American weekly with a strong news website that was first published on March 3, 1923 in New York with over 2 million copies of print edition circulated, still relies on a platform like Facebook founded in 2014 to get more readership reach.
Almost 2 billion persons are using Facebook daily and may likely react more or faster through likes, comments and sharing to a Time Magazine story read on Facebook than persons who make organic visit directly to the magazine’s website.