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Critical Digital Natives

I have learnt a lot of practices from MIL, now that I am a journalist- I am way more aware of how these practices should be done and to learn more about them. There are several practices that I have learnt about so far. Some examples of these could be social management, privacy and protection, and online reputation.

Practices and Insights Management Managing your digital footprint involves actively monitoring and controlling the information that you share online. It is very important to be mindful of what you post online, especially your personal information- as it could become easily accessible to people you may already know, and worse, people who are complete strangers to you who may want your information. Additionally, it could also help that you maintain a good ‘persona’ online that reflects who you are as a person. Privacy and Protection Your digital footprint must be guarded for privacy purposes. To ensure safety, one can go deeper into the matter of password management and enable a two-factor authentication process. If an individual manages to crack your password, the 2-FA process takes charge and requires knowledge of your email address to gain access to accounts such as Facebook and Discord. By remaining vigilant regarding digital footprint protection, you can decrease the likelihood of online harassment, identity theft, and other digital threats.

Online Reputation Posting online content has a major influence on your digital footprint. Your reputation can be affected by the things you say and post online. Thus, before putting anything out there, it is essential to ponder: Is this something I would want anyone to come across? Your interactions and communication with others online can also leave a lasting impact. It is important to be aware that others may critique both your content and the way you communicate. Definitely choose your words wisely, as they can be easily misinterpreted.

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BIASED REPORTING

Over the past few years, concerns about media manipulation have been growing. One technique used in the media is biased reporting. According to the Catalog of Bias (2019), reporting bias is “a systematic distortion resulting from the selective disclosure or concealment of information by those involved in the design, conduct, analysis, or are divided into”. Selective reporting, editorial bias, and emotion are one of the few examples of how media reporting can be manipulated. Coverage of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests taking place across America in 2020 is a recent example of bias-related issues. Although most media outlets reported the protests as peaceful, a few conservative organizations portrayed them as violent. The events resulting from this selective reporting may have been biased. Besides selective reporting, editorial bias is another way journalists create and hand out news. Editorial bias refers to situations in which decisions are influenced by factors related to authors or their environment (Matías-Guiu & García-Ramos, 2011). For example, in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, many news outlets focused more on debates about Democratic candidate Joe Biden than debates about Republican candidate Donald Trump. For some people, such editorial biases can affect their opinions about the current elections taking place. Another example of biased reporting is sensationalism- which is when news organizations exaggerate a story to attract viewers. For example, during the 2020 pandemic (COVID-19), some media outlets exaggerated the number of cases and deaths, creating fear and panic among the population. Biased reporting can have a big impact on people. By spreading fake news and creating a manipulated view of events, biased reporting could end up dividing a society. People would then find it difficult to accept ideas because this can reinforce their existing thoughts and ideas. In conclusion, there is a major problem of reporting bias in the media that needs attention. Selective reporting, editorial bias, and sensationalism are just a few examples of biased reporting that can significantly affect how readers view events. In order to have a better understanding of events, it is important that we, as users of social media, recognize the manipulative ways in which news media can deliver information. References:

Buchanan, L., Bui, Q., & Patel, J. K. (2020, July 3). Black Lives Matter may be the largest movement in U.S. history. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowdsize.html

Chenoweth, E., & Pressman, J. (2020). Black Lives Matter protesters were overwhelmingly peaceful, our research finds. The Spokesman Review. https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/publications/black-lives-matter-protesters-were -overwhelmingly-peaceful-our-research-finds#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20 Black%20Lives

Fujiwara, T., Müller, K., & Schwarz, C. (2022). The Effect of Social Media on Elections: Evidence from the United States. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3719998

Keeter, S., Hatley, N., Lau, A., & Kennedy, C. (2021, March 2). What 2020’s Election Poll Errors Tell Us About the Accuracy of Issue Polling. Pew Research Center Methods. https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/2021/03/02/what-2020s-election-poll-error s-tell-us-about-the-accuracy-of-issue-polling/

Matías-Guiu, J., & García-Ramos, R. (2011). Sesgos en la edición de las publicaciones científicas. Neurología, 26(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nrl.2010.11.001

Reporting biases. (2019). Catalog of Bias. https://catalogofbias.org/biases/reporting-biases/#:~:text=Researchers%20have %20previously%20described%20seven

Vanacore, R. (2021, November 12). Sensationalism in Media. Reporter. https://reporter.rit.edu/news/sensationalism-media