The Current Situation...
Ed Toddy (04/2/20)
Ed Toddy (04/2/20)
These two articles offer some insight regarding the current situation of coronavirus. I agree with many of the critiques directed at the government in the Vanity Fair article. Our President’s response to the virus was lackluster. As the first article explains, spreading false information or making uniformed claims about the virus is dangerous. This situation is life and death. Because the virus is related to the common cold, if cases do dissipate during the warmer months, then the virus is on holiday not dead. It will return the following winter to rampage against humanity until there is a vaccine. I have heard many diminishing claims that this virus is only as harmful as the flu, but until someone creates a vaccine this virus will continue to terrorize society. Luckily, we are adapting, moving responsibilities online and keeping in touch via the internet.
During these “extraordinary” times (supposedly a synonym for terrible, terrifying, and god-awful) people are turning to the internet for salvation. Churches are congregating on the web, college students are attending classes through Zoom and Google meet, and hundreds of thousands of people are doing work online. Bless the internet and all its wonders. From a young age, I have had the privilege of possessing unrestricted access to the web. I had a smartphone at 10 and I could browse, peruse, and gander to my heart’s content. Needless to say, I’ve been online for a while, so I know how to spot a fake. Fake memes, fake info, and fake news can’t crack my criticizing glare. I accredit this ability to long term exposure to the digital world and the hundreds of viruses I downloaded onto my gran’s computer. I learned to spot a fake trying to find a way to play Wizards 101 for free.
More people are using the internet than ever before, so more people are trusting what they see. It is a rule of mine to view everything on the internet with a sort of half-trust: innocent until proven guilty. I think that it is ridiculous for a guy like Alex Jones to be profiting from fake cures and “prepper” packages. It is clear that some people are trying to use this extraordinary time to make a quick buck. This is despicable, but I understand why it is happening. Unlike me, the elderly and those who haven’t been on the internet for the entirety of their lives are more likely to believe a fear-mongering sensationalist like Alex Jones, and It doesn’t help that the leader of our nation has not provided us with the confidence that he is even aware of the gravity of this situation.
What we need is a widespread campaign against misinformation. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are taking responsibility for their roles as a source of information and communication and are combatting misinformation, but that is not enough. We should all be informed enough to spot a fake on the web. It is crucial to our survival.
During these “extraordinary” times (supposedly a synonym for terrible, terrifying, and god-awful) people are turning to the internet for salvation. Churches are congregating on the web, college students are attending classes through Zoom and Google meet, and hundreds of thousands of people are doing work online. Bless the internet and all its wonders. From a young age, I have had the privilege of possessing unrestricted access to the web. I had a smartphone at 10 and I could browse, peruse, and gander to my heart’s content. Needless to say, I’ve been online for a while, so I know how to spot a fake. Fake memes, fake info, and fake news can’t crack my criticizing glare. I accredit this ability to long term exposure to the digital world and the hundreds of viruses I downloaded onto my gran’s computer. I learned to spot a fake trying to find a way to play Wizards 101 for free.
More people are using the internet than ever before, so more people are trusting what they see. It is a rule of mine to view everything on the internet with a sort of half-trust: innocent until proven guilty. I think that it is ridiculous for a guy like Alex Jones to be profiting from fake cures and “prepper” packages. It is clear that some people are trying to use this extraordinary time to make a quick buck. This is despicable, but I understand why it is happening. Unlike me, the elderly and those who haven’t been on the internet for the entirety of their lives are more likely to believe a fear-mongering sensationalist like Alex Jones, and It doesn’t help that the leader of our nation has not provided us with the confidence that he is even aware of the gravity of this situation.
What we need is a widespread campaign against misinformation. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are taking responsibility for their roles as a source of information and communication and are combatting misinformation, but that is not enough. We should all be informed enough to spot a fake on the web. It is crucial to our survival.