The news allows people to be active participants in society. The purpose is to inform the population of unbiased information and allow them to make their own decisions based on that knowledge. The news also helps to bring awareness to domestic and foreign affairs in need of assistance. But what happens when this news is unregulated? What happens when influencers can use their platform to spread any information, no matter its truth? What happens when people become desensitized to disaster and tragedy because it’s so frequent and brief on their devices? Â
There are many dangers to social media acting as news outlets. In my opinion, that type of coverage spreads faster than its audience’s ability to emotionally process and truly retain, which is an important factor of why we even have the news. The constant scroll of social media leads to flashes of news instead of a full and truthful story, contradicting the news’s ability to educate and have a well-informed narrative. Â
According to the World Press Institute, “51% of the Gen Z teens (aged 14-18) get their news from social media feeds, placing it above other sources like TV news and news websites.” The drastic difference between these two things is that people on social media can say anything they want. This can lead to biased and possibly falsified information being spread to masses of people. And even worse, its primary audience is the youth who are more susceptible to this misinformation. Younger generations may not have the critical thinking skills needed to differentiate biased vs. unbiased news and truth vs. exaggerated details. Â
TV and website news, however, are run by people who have devoted their careers and lives to gathering information and reporting its truth to the public. In addition, these outlets have editors that fact check and make certain of objectivity. This is a great problem because it shows that even though over 50% of the youth get their news from social media, this media is not truly an accurate or beneficial source of information.  Â
Additionally, the constant scroll of social media provides a loss of grasp on reality. When people see brief news very frequently on social media, the suffering of people gets quickly observed but forgotten just as fast. This normalization is dangerous because it desensitizes the audience from people who really need help. I also feel that it’s no longer about providing facts and the whole truth but getting views and engagements. In my opinion, social media prioritizes sensationalism over factual information which jeopardizes the ethical standards of news. Everyone deserves to retain unbiased intel with the purpose of informing, not influencing with motives of status and financial gain. Â
The impact of AI also contributes to the risk of social media acting as the news. Artificial Intelligence can create images and videos that can contribute to a very believable, but fake, story. For example, there was a video created of an accident on a racetrack that was so believable that NBC Chicago aired it as real news. This one example of a very believing clip being brought all the way up to the news also shows the consideration you must put into any news outlet and ensure you’re thinking critically. This is because nowadays with AI it’s very easy to fall for edited pictures and videos. If these clips can be brought all the way up to televised news, it’s important to evaluate what you’re seeing carefully and use your best judgement. Â
People can take advantage of Artificial Intelligence to trick an audience into seeing what they want them to see.  That being said, clips just like the AI racetrack are way more accessible and widespread on social media. It’s a lot more likely that influencers spreading this type of information do not care to fact check its reality. Further, social media heavily tracks algorithms. This makes it a lot easier for the viewer to see stories that are pushed for entertainment and interest purposes rather than immediacy and prominence, which are things that news outlets prioritize.   Â
That being said, social media does have the benefits of communication. It has efficiency, diversity, and global reach. It’s important to acknowledge the advantages of social media’s abilities but also recognize the dangers and negative effects that it comes with. When observing news from social media, it’s vital to be careful and fact check the information you’re receiving. Also, it’s important to consider the effects of quickly scrolling past suffering. These are real people who deserve awareness of their situations and attention to ways they can be helped.Â
In conclusion, social media is a dangerous place to get information due to the fact that it should be coming from a trusted source. There is a lack of truth and objectivity when conveying these stories in this way. This results in false perceptions, lack of retention, and desensitization. It’s so important to remember your critical thinking skills to differentiate facts from fiction. It’s also vital to have empathy and remember that even though stories can be brief, frequent, and passing, these are real people and real situations that deserve attention and respect.