Lies on Social Media
I’ve lived in both big cities and small towns. In big cities, I’m usually anonymous and can blend in as just another nameless person on the street. Most people don’t even really see me. There are some advantages to that but for more than twenty years I’ve lived in rural southwest Washington State. Here you get to know people. I can hardly go to town without stopping to talk with an old friend or two. I’ve finalized business deals by shaking hands. I go to church and community meetings with local elected officials and count several as friends. At this level, reputation and integrity matters.
Perhaps that’s why I don’t put much faith in social media. Anyone can say just about anything and hide behind a user name. A version of that occurred a few days ago. I was listening to the morning radio program when the subject turned to politics. The announcer, who I only know as a voice on the radio said that Donald Trump had once declared that, “If I were to run, I’d run as a Republican. They’re the dumbest group of voters in the country. They love anything on Fox News. I could lie and they’d still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific.”
Immediately upon hearing it, my son said that he had read the quote was false and that a version of this meme has been floating around the internet for years usually attributed to People Magazine in 1998. I’d never heard it before so, later that morning I did some online searching. Finding reliable sources turned out to be easy. I soon had the following links all stating that the quote was false, The Associated Press, CNN, FactCheck.org, Newsweek, the Reno Gazette Journal, Reuters, and Snopes. I stopped at this point, not because I had run out of sources, but because I felt I had enough.
In this age of easily manipulated photographs, deep fakes, and artificial intelligence, coupled with people willing to lie to achieve a goal, we all need to be cautious, and the fourth estate, radio, television, and print need to maintain high standards. I don’t believe the radio announcer meant to deceive. I think he heard this quote, thought it sounded like Donald Trump and, without much thought, decided to believe it.
If you’re thinking, “What about Donald Trump,” you’ve missed the point. Everyone has lied or exaggerated at some point. This isn’t about any individual. It’s about spreading lies. The person who created and spread this meme wanted to damage Trump’s reputation and apparently, all they had to work with was a lie. In spreading it they may have damaged Trump’s reputation, but they have shredded their own.
Do you use social media to stay informed? Which social media sources do you consider reliable? Let me know how you use social media in the comment section below.
