I only use one social media platform and there is so much
information on both sides of every topic that it is almost impossible
to read all of them and then make your on conclusion. What I
do is I read an article before I even think of sharing it instead
of just reading the headlines. And then I like to go and do my
own research about every article that I read and share. When I am
talking to someone about politics, I do my best to not let my
emotions and personal opinions get into the discusion unless I am
asked how I feel about something or what my thoughts are about
it. I do state a lot of facts to support my own view point. But
facts can not be disputed no matter what someone believes. Facts are
facts. In my experience, when you try and get someone to think
more critically about any topic and what they know or what new
information that they find goes against what they already believe or
what they want to believe is true, they can not help but get
offended. They feel like I am trying to convince them that their
current beliefs are wrong and they need to change what they believe.
That is very hard for most people to truly accept. There are a
number of social media platforms that I am involved in. Each platform
has its own advantages and disadvantages in equal measure. Nowadays
people spend most of their time in social media; some for good
intentions while others with malice. Social media platforms are a source
of information, recreation, advertisement and job opportunities among other
benefits. It can be useful or harmful depending on how the user
utilizes it. Critical thinking plays a major role in determining how
one takes advantage of social media.
I have a number of social media accounts which I use for different
purposes. These accounts are basically used for passing some information
directly or indirectly to someone or a group of people. Some of
these platforms provide an arena where discussions take place. People
are able to air their opinions regardless of their location. These
messages could be seen by anyone in the world by the click of
one button. Critical thinking has enabled me to sieve and thoroughly
weigh what message, either verbally, written or pictorial, I post in
my accounts for public view. Bearing in mind that in these platforms
people don’t have physical contacts, whatever we put there reveals
everything about us.
Critical thinking has enabled me to choose correctly what debates to
indulge myself in. Some conversations can be discriminative to a group
of people who may not take it kindly. Moreover, I have learnt the
skill to solve problems and conflicts through critically brainstorming on
the best response and action to take in order to solve a situation.
The kind of response I give determines how the receiver will react.
Critical thinking has generally enabled learn how to associate with all
kinds of people regardless of their nature. We've learned a lot about
critical thinking which in turn has helped our communication skills
tremendously. Learning to look at something in a different light also
can help fine tune a message one is trying to convey. It allows
you to be more precise with your thoughts and actions which can
help tremendously on social media. Most things online are just text,
so to understand the tone or context of a post or share simply
based off of the words on the screen you're probably out of luck.
When we interact with so many others on social media we can get
a slight look into how someone else may see the world depending
on the content that they put out there. Using critical thinking to
understand those around us and how they react to a certain situation
can allow us to fine tune what we say and how we say it, so
that there is no confusion in the message conveyed. I would tell
others that me encouraging them to think critically as well isn't an
attack on their current beliefs, it's just saying that there are other
ways to look at things and you have to understand there are other
people's point of views that should also be respected. I typically use
social media to keep in touch with distant family and friends. I see
a lot of debates on social media and over the course of these
five weeks, I learned different approaches that could be used on with
these debates. Whether its about politics or just everyday life, I've
learned from this course that its important to use critical thinking
skills. You have to have tough skin when you’re on social media
especially when discussing politics. People are more malicious and do
not care about insulting you with mean words on social media. I’ve
learned not to give a biased opinion, but one that is based solely
on facts and can be proven to be true. I think my social skills
have improved as well. I’ve never been shy, but I’ve learned more
ways to engage in a conversation with strangers and how to see
things from others’ perspective. There are lots of vendors on social
media that are only in the business to make money and do not
truly care about their consumers. As a consumer I've learned to use
inductive argument to determine whether or not a product is worth
purchasing. For example, vendors selling skin care products can assume
because a product has a great affect on one consumer that the same
affect is probable to happen with all other consumers. Using my
critical thinking skills as a consumer would also help me to decipher
whether or not a product is a good purchase for me or not. I
could encourage others to think critically by using myself for example
and stating that I didn’t really start learning until I realized I don’t
know everything and it helps to listen to others. Sometimes when
you take an approach of using yourself as an example, people won’t
feel so attacked and may be more prone to take heed to your
advice. We live in the technology era were social media has taken
over our lives and it is very important that we use skills learn in
this class to make the correct decisions, a few months ago there
was an active shooting situation in my city and the first reports the
community received were from social media several reports with different
information that went from a few people shoot to sixty people shoot,
when things like this happen is better to stay calm and try to
find good sources and not act on the first thing that we see or
hear , it is important to know that not everything that comes out
is either right or wrong but we need to be educated enough to
make the right decisions we can share with others the benefits of
using critical thinking more as an advice in order for people not to
feel offended if we work on letting them know the benefits of
using critical thinking and not just pointing the errors of not doing
it we should be successful. Social Media is definitely the new wave
for the young generation and some of the new generation. I use
social media for finding old friends and keeping in touch with old
and new friends that I may not see often. I think I can apply
critical thinking and Deductive/Inductive arguments to information I
encounter on social media. Critical thinking can be applied when
commenting/communicating with a person or on a persons post about
certain things that may be serious or not so series but giving it
some thought from all angels before hand to not offend or jump to
conclusions.
Critical thinking and Politics or being a consumer goes hand in hand
in my opinion. Politics can be a touchy subject and I feel we
should always think critically before indulging in such conversations or
on social media because every ones political views, in my opinion
are private and also the persons opinion but people will and do get
offended and can lash out at others for simply having an opinion.
I also think, people should not force their views on politics or on
products on others if not wanted.
The way I feel I could encourage others to think critically without
offending anyone would be to tell them to always put themselves in
the shoes of the person they are communicating to and think on
both sides of the situation. That will make you think more critically
and find a way to give feedback without offending the person or
persons. Although, social media can be a great tool it can also be
a hindrance. Since taking this class I will know how to use critical
thinking on social media. I will know to always fact check. A lot
of information on social media is not true. I will also know when
and how to express my opinions effectively. I think my use of
critical thinking may affect my social interactions like those related to
politics. I think that now oppose to before I am more prepared for
conversations of this gravity. I know how to be open minded to
other opinions. I will also be able to spot fallacies. But, most
importantly I will know how to communicate my arguments effectively
without offending anyone or speaking incorrectly. When it comes to
be a consumer, I now understand a little more about why things
happen and how to communicate if I am unhappy. I feel like
learning about the fallacies also helped me become a better consumer
because now I can identify different ploys that an advertisement may
use. Lastly, I think everyone should use critical thinking. In order to
encourage others without offending anyone I may say thinks like “think
about the other point of view” or “think deeper”. I feel like then
I would have many more well-rounded conversations. Social media is
a powerful way to communicate your thoughts and your feelings.
Sometimes we let ourselves express our selfs in different ways but
we might lose track of what we are trying to say. When it comes
to politics A discussion will sure start a controversy and you must
be prepared to communicate. What i have learned in this class is
how to distinguish truths from myths. We might hear a store from
this person that heard it from another and as it goes the store
might not be the same as it was told. Social media is a powerful
way to communicate and you have to be prepared to use your
critical thinking skills. Be ready to provide evidence or proof of what
you are trying speak about. Sometimes we might find people that
they live off of social media conversations and have no idea what
they are talking about. This time in day we must be ready and
be opened minded to learn how to distinguish things. I tend to use
social media for mainly two things, sports being the main focus point
and politics being the second. For me, staying up-to-date in those
two arenas helps me feel more connected to people I associate with
both in my personal life and at work. Staying connected to the
political world is obviously important for being a responsible voter,
which is something that I hold near and dear. Taking this class has
definitely opened my eyes at how I approach situations, and that
includes reading articles on social media and watching videos as well.
As previously learned, gathering evidence and weighing different outlooks
on positions is important before coming to a conclusion. Taking in
account emotions, sound reasoning, and judging whether or not bias is
involved in what I’m seeing online is nothing short of a life-changing
outlook. Interacting socially, even in the most casual of settings, is
positively altered if critical thinking becomes a habit. Having healthy
debates with friends and family over relevant topics is simply good
for the mind. I can definitely see how exercising critical thinking
could help become a more intelligent consumer. Making more of an
educated decision before making a large purchase is powerful. What
agenda may some companies have for pushing a certain product or
idea? What information is being displayed and advertised, and what is
being left out? These are questions critical thinking can help answer
before making a purchase. Social media is utilized more and more
every day to communicate, advertise and influence our decisions. Critical
thinking is imperative when reviewing information on social media. To
avoid miscommunication or bias arguments, it important to apply the
skills developed in this class to identify fallacies, bias and determine
a reasonable approach to a rational conclusion.
I use Facebook as my social media preference. I use my social
media as a way to keep me updated on what’s going on with
family and friends. I rarely post anything but when I do, I am
always cautious about how my post could be construed. With the
increase of employers reviewing social media accounts of their employees,
I avoid responding on anything political or controversial. I am a
believer that those types of discussions should be in person. As a
consumer, I use my critical thinking skills to evaluate ads and decide
my approach.
I recently attended a workshop about social media. A law enforcement
officer explained acceptable things to post. He cautioned, criminals use
social media to know when you are not home, find out what major
events have happened or learn your daily routine. They use this
information to their advantage to break into your house, scam you
into giving money for a fake charity or even hack your account.
After this workshop, I encouraged my family to be mindful of their
postings. I reminded them to always evaluate and analyze things they
may come across while surfing through their social media accounts.
Critical thinking not only helps with sensible decision making but it
can help keep us safe. Social media is a huge part of daily life
in 2019. It can be hard to tell what information is accurate online
which is where critical thinking becomes extremely important. We as
consumers, need to take the initiative to research what we see online,
whether it be a news article or the hot new product of the season,
using critical thinking can enable us to realize whether an article is
factual or not and if that hot new product is really as good as
it sounds. "If you read it on the internet it must be true," this
is a quote I've heard frequently and it is used sarcastically which
implies that the information online is not only incorrect but usually
extremely far fetched. It's easier now than it has been in the past
to figure out if something online is true or not, we can usually
get an answer immediately simply by searching the topic online. This
seems easy enough but critical thinking can sometimes go out the
door on social media. I do not use social media like facebook,
snapchat etc. I do however do read reviews and research when I'm
looking to buy items. By using the skills I have learned in this
class, I would ask even more questions and never just accept because
the internet said so. We all have at some point have made decisions
based on manipulated information. We believed those who had no
credibility and wrote or spoke from ulterior motives. We were talked
down to and were victims of exaggeration, misdirection, and political
spin. Sometimes, as we go about our busy lives, we can accept
these pieces of information as truths because it is only natural to
do so. Going forward, merely recognizing these untruths for what they
are, can lead us to a higher quality of critical thinking. You may
read or hear something that sets off a red flag in your mind: Do
I agree with that? Is this to good to be true? Why might someone
say that? This pure awareness is something I will take away from
this class. Don't just accept, Ask question! I encourage anyone to do
their research, not everything can be taken at face value. Social media
is used on a daily basis by millions of users. Personally, I primarily
use Instagram and Facebook for consumer purposes. Often, my wife
accuses me of being gullible to ads. I am prone to open postings
that route me to their websites. Despite my wife’s teasing, I find
myself wasting valuable time looking into ads and purchasing items I
don’t necessary need. Through algorithms, social media gauges your
interests and targets certain ads. Through this class, I have been
encouraged to identify these trends utilizing reason. I have begun
analyzing my reactions or emotions to these ads by asking questions
and getting the opinions of my wife or trusted advisers. A way that
I have brought this up to some of my friends or family members
is by being vulnerable and honest about my challenges with these
ads. Opening the dialogue on my end tends to break down barriers.
This allows me to share best practices on how I have personally
overcome this challenge. Throughout this semester, the most impact week
was the 2nd to 3rd week when we learned how to utilize decision
making with identifying reason, emotion and communication. I use social
media every day. I look Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. I
use the majority of it to stay connected to family and friends. It
is a great way to find family that you have lost track of and
to reconnect to friends from school.I also use social media for
research. I look for reviews on items that I am considering purchasing.
I look for new places to shop or for dining recommendations. I
also look for job opportunities and review information on possible
employers.This class will build on the critical thinking I already rely
on when using social media. I avoid the postings and comments on
politics. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but I do not want to
get in the middle of the disagreements that are all over social media
these days. I also don’t automatically assume all the news postings
are accurate because so much is fake or misleading.I encourage my
mother to be very critical of what she reads on social media on
a regular basis. A large number of our conversations are about
something she read and automatically assumes is gospel. It concerns
me how easily she is so often mislead by the information that is
out there. She is never offended when I point this out because it
reminds her to be cautious of what she reads. Unfortunately, as many
of us do, I use social media far too frequently. From Facebook to
Instagram, it seems like a never ending cycle of something to keep
me busy while I am bored or procrastinating.
Personally, I try my best to stay out of political type debates
especially ones presented on social media platforms. However, you still
encounter these types of posts on social media everyday regarding
things going on in society. It is very important to use critical
thinking skills and to have an open minded view to each issue.
This way you are able to evaluate the issue from each point of
view and properly come your own conclusion based on your research
or findings.
I try to help my friends critically think in situations where their
emotions might get the best of them which blocks them from being
able to properly critically think. I remind them to think about the
issue they are having from multiple views and not jump to conclusions
with no evidence to back up their biased conclusions. If I am also
empathetic to how they are feeling, most of my friends take to this
well and are able to take a step back and think about things open
mindedly. I am a frequent user of Facebook both personally and
professionally; before I comment or post anything I stop and deicer
if it is going to cause any debates or offend anyone. I never
discuss politics, religion or anything gender related as well as try my
best not to post anything that may be offensive to anyone. I am
aware that I cannot guarantee not offending anyone but, I consciously
make an effort to try to not do so. I especially do not want to
draw any attention to myself in case my employer or a future
employer may be able to see any content I post. Politics I stay
away from because politics I believe is an opinion based stance and
everyone has an opinion and most times there is no right or wrong
opinion.Encouraging others to critically think is something I do on a
daily basis. Working with adult students at an Adult School, most
students need encouragement to begin learning their critical thinking
skills. There are times when a student comes to me and is completely
defeated by an Algebra problem however, when we sit down together
and go over each step and layout the equations for them I see
the light bulb go off and in turn their critical thinking skills have
begun. Social Media is an ever-present forum in this new digital age.
The real-time accounting of things