Should I be concerned that I was so quick to accept my death mere seconds before almost experiencing it?
Yes, I take photos of old bathrooms. I don’t know why, but I find them interesting. Cabin-type walls, tiny figurines, season-themed hand soaps, classic books and magazines throughout the decades.
Choices, choices : Why critical thinking matters
On May 2, 2011, information about Al-Qaeda head Osama Bin Laden’s death spread worldwide at the speed of light. At the time, United States president Barack Obama was still composing his speech to announce Laden’s death.
How then did the news spread across the globe? Through one of biggest social networking sites to date of course: Twitter. Former White House Chief of Staff Keith Urbahn was the first to tweet the news: “So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn.”
That announcement sparked an explosion of curiosity and interest from people across the globe, leading them to search for clues to validate if that bit of information was real.
Young adults are now more active on social networking sites. More and more news items flood social media platforms. These data are a mix of real news and hoax news–making it hard for people to choose what is real and what is not.
Hoax news is like a bullet, once it’s out, you cannot take it back. It seems legitimate, and some people who actually believe these faux articles can worsen the digital disinformation situation by sharing such articles with their friends and family as actual news.
The idea of social media sites as a platform for news stories sounds okay at first, since you can get information right there and then without looking any further.
But accidents can happen at any time, and there will be no guarantee that a journalist skilled in delivering verified fact is present to report the news as it happens. Anyone can report accidents and incidents using their mobile devices by immediately posting such information on social media sites.
If there are pros, there will most probably be cons. One of the cons is the lack of credibility. Reading news off of social media sites where anyone can say anything (they do have freedom of speech) can really turn a person into a skeptic.
People want to be updated with current events and they want to be updated immediately. Receiving news from social media sites seems convenient and fast at first. Then you realize you have to do more research about what you’ve read and verify if these stories are true–an activity that easily consumes your time.
Also, there’s a probability that journalistic integrity may be compromised–especially if your story source is not a reliable news website that employs members of the working press who know how to gather, fact-check and deliver the news.
Citizen journalists might put themselves or others in danger while trying to gather news, too. As technology continues to evolve, people are starting to wonder if there will come a time when social media sites become be the only pathway to the news, since these websites are convenient and quickly updated.
Journalism professor Raphael Palis of Malayan Colleges Laguna said social media is just another channel through which people may access the news: “Not everyone has access to social media all the time anyway. So, I guess the handy newspaper, the trusty radio, the sometimes annoying television, and your noisy gossip-mongers are here to stay.”
Even these tried and tested media make mistakes, despite the skilled journalists they employ, after all. There’s no guarantee that everything you read in either the traditional media, online media or social media is real.
A small survey focusing on multimedia arts students in the tertiary level showed that all 10 participants will not believe the news they read on social networking sites all that easily.
The respondents said that they would first confirm if the information they gathered from social networking sites is true by checking reliable news websites. These survey participants said it is their obligation as communication arts students to have a high level of high media literacy.
They also said they would try to analyze first if the article was written for satirical or parody purposes. How then are we supposed to help our youth become more astute?Reinforcing subjects that will improve a person’s critical thinking and research ability is a really good place to start.
In order to do that, the people in charge of the nation’s schools need to cover all subjects. Not every student will be good in languages, so it would be better to inject critical thinking ideas and lessons in every subject, just to make sure that all the bases are covered. Participating in challenging cognitive activities will improve critical thinking skills, too.
Palis said honing students’ media literacy in the early stages of their education will help. Parents can also help their kids by involving them in thoughtful discussions and by asking them thought-provoking questions.
According to Palis, “not everything you see, hear, or watch is necessarily true. It may be true, but only to a certain degree. A student must know how to read between the lines and filter through everything he or she comes across, especially the internet.”
The 2016 elections is just a few years away, and many of our legal-aged youth are facing a tough decision. Politicians are likely to make good use of social networking sites, since most of their potential voters visit these websites regularly.
From promises that are merely wishful thinking to sugar-coated “experiences” they recount from the past, politicians will write just about anything to attract voters into their “I-will-help-you-have-a-brighter-future” spiels.
It is up to these voting youth to make the right choice, to be canny and witful, able to strain the truth from the lies. With proper care and regular doses of critical thinking and researching lectures, we can only hope that these youths know what they are doing.
According to Palis, “I think everyone must take everything told to them with the proverbial grain of salt every time, much like the scientist not taking everything as true until concrete evidence is found to prove anything.”
As National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal put it, the youth is the future of the nation. Hopefully we will not let Rizal or our nation down, because our choices do matter and will make a significant change–if we choose well.
Make sure your choices are well thought of and not just a hasty decision because you needed to make your choices on the ballot to complete your vote. Think wisely. Your choice will surely affect your future whatever you do–and you will have to live with the consequences of those choices for good or for ill.
“in the most humble way possible, we want to take over the world”
(Source: sstephanieflynn, via tragic21cigarette)
I held back my tears for two days, and when I finally had the chance to let the tears fall, they’re just not there anymore. I’ve become an emotionless reck.
