Adding fuel to the fire: By Annabelle Julien, Grace Rossman, Shayla Andrews & Connor McGrail MANAGING EDITORS & INTERNS GRAPHICS | Annabelle Julien & Bella Yoakam Although the benefits and drawbacks of social media usage has been a hot topic throughout the years, rapper Kanye West’s recent antisemitic comments on Twitter have sparked a new controversy. How the spread of
the same thing, people who are holding these beliefs that are non-scientific it somehow gives credence to these things, even though they are not true,
Web of lies
think and how that affects an impressionable audience.
From fake news to conspiracy theories, the spread of misinformation on social media has been prevalent since social media platforms began to develop in the early 2000s. Even two decades later, the misinformation issue is still rampant, and situations such as West’s latest Twitter controversy only adds fuel to the fire.
On top of this, entrepreneur Elon Musk’s purchase of
Working with students who have grown up with
Twitter, which was concluded on Oct. 27, has brought
technology has allowed school psychologist Christine
up concerns regarding the unclear standard of what
Kuhl to see the rapid spread of misinformation by both
can and cannot be said on social media.
celebrities and the average social media user.
misinformation, specifically by verified influencers and celebrities, affects teenagers is a topic that has been put into light following West’s statements. The posts have also ignited a discussion surrounding how social media platforms grant users the ability to speak before they
“I think discerning real, factual information from unreliable sources and false information is difficult and more challenging for [their] generation,” Kuhl said. “Making sure that the sources that you’re getting your information from are credible, is an important piece of learning how to manage social media and the internet.” Misinformation
comes
in
many
forms, one of them being conspiracy theories. A popular conspiracy that science teacher Don Pata has seen on Twitter and Instagram is that the earth is flat. According to Pata, these rumors are perpetuated by influencers who support the false claims that circulate. “People will believe things that they read if they perceive they are either from experts, or if they already align with their current viewpoint, even when shown scientific evidence to the contrary,” Pata said. “Then if you get a famous sports figure who also says the same kind of thing, or a famous musical artist, who says
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scientifically speaking.”
The superiority complex In the online age of the 21st century, average people have the ability to become influencers and create a platform for themselves where they can be seen and heard by millions of people. Kuhl says the access to such a big audience leads these influencers to feel highly-ranked in comparison to others, specifically when they gain a blue check mark, which deems an influencer as “verified.” “I think [verification] can make people feel a certain sense of importance, and a little bit of an inflated self esteem,” Kuhl said. “I’m sure it makes some people feel superior but others may want it for a little bit of extra credibility or notoriety.” Following the conclusion of Musk’s purchase of Twitter, many people, including senior Ray Plieth, foresee changes within the app in the near future. One change that has already been made is the ability to purchase your own verification check mark for $7.99 per month. “I do feel like that blue checkmark culture isn’t getting better with the recent purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk and the new checkmarks we can pay [for],” Plieth said. “We’re giving [people] a level of prestige on a public platform that only lends to the harm they can do.” Celebrities, such as West, seem to display this prestige over the average social media user through theirTwitter posts, according to senior Gaelle Dalmacy. “I think [West] does think he’s better than other people by the way he talks,” Dalmacy said. “He referred to himself as God.”