This is a bit of an unorganized rant here so please bear with me.

I recently read a blog written by a "journalist" who discussed national security issues of the United States, including Middle East strategy and dealing with terrorists (this wasn't the background of the blogger). I was amazed to see the amount of misinformation communicated throughout this post. Most of it was either incredibly inaccurate sources or just made up. This "journalist" has a large following and the comment section of this blog had over 1300 posts stating things like "I never thought of it this way, you're right!" or "It's so clear now. Because of X, political party xyz is the root of all evil."


It was scary how convinced these people were that this blogger actually knew what she was talking about. These are voters people....voters who now are full of misinformation.


As a grad student in Security Studies I frequently read blogs, journals, forums, books, and other sources of news and information (or for a good laugh). Although I've read through thousands of pages of academic text, I might know 1% (if that) of the knowledge within the discipline. That said, it's 100x more than some know, and I certainly can't explain all of our national security issues in a two page blog post.

1300 minds damaged...just like that. With the stroke of a few keys and the click of the mouse, a blogger has helped to shape the opinion (for the worse) of over 1000 people. How can you fight it? The few people trying to point out the flaws in the argument were getting cussed at and told to leave.

edit: To add to this....some of the "older" people and youth on social media get duped by seemingly legitimate things they find on the internet. Really, it seems like most of the country has jumped on the internet at the same time, and many haven't figured it out yet.

You just summed up the spin room. LMFAO

You look at how ISIL has used the web to recruit nuts to join them and you wonder if it is a good thing. Then you stop and think how quickly information that saves lives and changes opinions worldwide is passed. You think about how closer civilized people are to each other now via the web and now have the ability to instantly share each others lives. Hell..just his nonsense of a message board is an example. I think the good out weighs that bad...but...I admit that some of it is concerning.

Discussion is good.

(01-12-2015 09:50 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  You look at how ISIL has used the web to recruit nuts to join them and you wonder if it is a good thing. Then you stop and think how quickly information that saves lives and changes opinions worldwide is passed. You think about how closer civilized people are to each other now via the web and now have the ability to instantly share each others lives. Hell..just his nonsense of a message board is an example. I think the good out weighs that bad...but...I admit that some of it is concerning.

You've got a good point. I generally agree.


A challenge to everyone: go spend some time on messageboards or sites that young people frequent. Like tmblr........it's incredible in the worst of ways.

(01-12-2015 09:54 PM)ncbeta Wrote:  

(01-12-2015 09:50 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  You look at how ISIL has used the web to recruit nuts to join them and you wonder if it is a good thing. Then you stop and think how quickly information that saves lives and changes opinions worldwide is passed. You think about how closer civilized people are to each other now via the web and now have the ability to instantly share each others lives. Hell..just his nonsense of a message board is an example. I think the good out weighs that bad...but...I admit that some of it is concerning.

You've got a good point. I generally agree.


A challenge to everyone: go spend some time on messageboards or sites that young people frequent. Like tmblr........it's incredible in the worst of ways.

Well...I can't say I wasnt full of schit 30 years ago. Thankfully I did not have a platform to expound my nonsense like I do it now.

Tumblr!

I think a lot of folks on this board would lose their minds if they saw some of that insanity.

(01-12-2015 10:04 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Tumblr!

I think a lot of folks on this board would lose their minds if they saw some of that insanity.

You underestimate me greatly.

Have you ever seen some of it?

r/tumblrinaction

Check that out! It's really beyond description.

(01-12-2015 09:54 PM)ncbeta Wrote:  

(01-12-2015 09:50 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  You look at how ISIL has used the web to recruit nuts to join them and you wonder if it is a good thing. Then you stop and think how quickly information that saves lives and changes opinions worldwide is passed. You think about how closer civilized people are to each other now via the web and now have the ability to instantly share each others lives. Hell..just his nonsense of a message board is an example. I think the good out weighs that bad...but...I admit that some of it is concerning.

You've got a good point. I generally agree.


A challenge to everyone: go spend some time on messageboards or sites that young people frequent. Like tmblr........it's incredible in the worst of ways.

The same could be said for old people.

(01-12-2015 10:06 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Have you ever seen some of it?

r/tumblrinaction

Check that out! It's really beyond description.

Nice titty collection

Internationally it will do a lot of good toppling bad regimes and spreading reforms. However domestically there is a lot of consequences. It has completely destroyed national discussion (particularly by corrupting media sources). However I don't blame it on the Internet, I blame it on Fox News.

No this is not an anti FNC rant and I am not complaining about them because they are conservative. They were the first partisan media source and established themselves well before partisan internet news sources/social media truly took off. I view FNC regardless of being liberal or conservative as being the one that punched the hole though the wall allowing for a wave of similar partisan news sources to emerge. It was these partisan news sources that did all the damage that the OP is blaming on the Internet. I really don't for see them developing in the way that they did without FNC.

I don't agree with that.

Fox filled a gap in the market. The only news that existed prior to Fox had a left leaning slant. Fox is just the latest punch in that boxing match.

(01-12-2015 10:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I don't agree with that.

Fox filled a gap in the market. The only news that existed prior to Fox had a left leaning slant. Fox is just the latest punch in that boxing match.

the "gap" was debatable, opinionated, & speculative at best.

hypothetically assuming a "gap" needed to be filled, they were still the first major openly partisan news source which is kinda the whole stinking point. The start the whole concept, made the concept justifiable, and caused other news sources with a similar strategy to do the exact same thing.

(01-12-2015 10:36 PM)john01992 Wrote:  

(01-12-2015 10:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I don't agree with that.

Fox filled a gap in the market. The only news that existed prior to Fox had a left leaning slant. Fox is just the latest punch in that boxing match.

the "gap" was debatable, opinionated, & speculative at best.

hypothetically assuming a "gap" needed to be filled, they were still the first major openly partisan news source which is kinda the whole stinking point. The start the whole concept, made the concept justifiable, and caused other news sources with a similar strategy to do the exact same thing.

They were not the first partisan news channel, they were just the first one that was honest enough to admit it.

(01-13-2015 12:06 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(01-12-2015 10:36 PM)john01992 Wrote:  

(01-12-2015 10:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I don't agree with that.

Fox filled a gap in the market. The only news that existed prior to Fox had a left leaning slant. Fox is just the latest punch in that boxing match.

the "gap" was debatable, opinionated, & speculative at best.

hypothetically assuming a "gap" needed to be filled, they were still the first major openly partisan news source which is kinda the whole stinking point. The start the whole concept, made the concept justifiable, and caused other news sources with a similar strategy to do the exact same thing.

They were not the first partisan news channel, they were just the first one that was honest enough to admit it.

there's a fundamental difference between an openly partisan news source and a non partisan news source regardless of where you think the non partisan source resides on the political spectrum.

(01-12-2015 10:31 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Internationally it will do a lot of good toppling bad regimes and spreading reforms. However domestically there is a lot of consequences. It has completely destroyed national discussion (particularly by corrupting media sources). However I don't blame it on the Internet, I blame it on Fox News.

No this is not an anti FNC rant and I am not complaining about them because they are conservative. They were the first partisan media source and established themselves well before partisan internet news sources/social media truly took off. I view FNC regardless of being liberal or conservative as being the one that punched the hole though the wall allowing for a wave of similar partisan news sources to emerge. It was these partisan news sources that did all the damage that the OP is blaming on the Internet. I really don't for see them developing in the way that they did without FNC.

When You've been watching TV news for over 50 years, You have seen all of the Bias from the Left that influenced Generations without challange of Others Viewpoints. Fox News gave the other Viewpoints that CNN and MSNBC didn't have. Also Fox News offers up Leftist Viewpoints as well where MSNBC runs any Right Wing viewpoint into the Ground. every point has it's side and MSNBC choses the Far Left side with No Compromise.

w/o reading any post.....

kudos to OP and the topic!

+∞

(01-12-2015 09:50 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  You just summed up the spin room. LMFAO

see.....we can agree.....

(01-12-2015 09:50 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  You look at how ISIL has used the web to recruit nuts to join them and you wonder if it is a good thing. Then you stop and think how quickly information that saves lives and changes opinions worldwide is passed. You think about how closer civilized people are to each other now via the web and now have the ability to instantly share each others lives. Hell..just his nonsense of a message board is an example. I think the good out weighs that bad...but...I admit that some of it is concerning.

it's a tête-à-tête