Those Citizen News Posts

The Boston bombing facts aside, and there have been way too much from the media and from private citizens about the event, I think the endless barrage of information from those who use social media but were not there, involved or qualified to report shows how out of control is social media. For example, immediately after the bombing Redditers compiled a photo library of whom they believed to be the perpetrators, Twitter offered minute-by-minute updates and Face book users involved in the Boston marathon race but unhurt shared stories that frankly were self serving and irrelevant. The updates were often factually wrong and absolutely unnecessary to all but the most voyeuristic human. How much need be said about an event after the story has already been told? It's overload...too much. It's evidence that when people have electronic gadgets they use them endlessly and annoyingly. I wonder why so many give the information and so many more seek it out.

It's bad enough the mainstream news media spreads rumor and falsehood as it desperately tries to beat competitors by revealing the "news" first and more completely. Now we have private users of cells phones and applications who think they are a source of knowledge about things which they have no clue. Today's video tools make it easy for everyone to share what they've seen. Even when told to stay away from dangerous spots, people still can't seem to heed the warnings, often chronicling in real time with smart phone in hand and eager to post on Yu tube. Having their "news story" get hits makes them feel self gratified because they feel pride in being the person who gathered the news for the rest of us.

That information comes in so fast from so many anonymous sources that it can not be filtered readily for accuracy and relevance. I pay no attention to those kinds of "citizen reports", but a growing audience for them has arisen that believes the veracity of citizen reports way too often for my comfort. So the question to ask about the effect social media is whether it is a good or bad for informing and helping the listener form opinions about single events. Does a constant barrage on non professional, anonymous citizen reports keep citizens up to date or misinform them better or worse than does the professional media?

I doubt many who so easily accepts news that a citizen news reporter gives actually cross checks to verify the content. Rumors and false perceptions are created as often as is solid information passed. Anyway, do you find the immediate promulgation of information from private citizen news reporters to be more harmful or more helpful in breaking news situations? Further, do you pay attention to those sources and have confidence in them? I don't.