The best thing I can do as a consumer of social media is evaluate each post with my newly
sharpened critical thinking skills and make sure that these posts are accurate before I spread
this information on my accounts. I can ask questions like where did this information come
from, then cross-reference to make sure it is true. I can also use the internet to find my own
credible sources of the information posted. From here I have the ability to disprove the post,
based on reason and my ability to judge the credibility of sources. If the post is incorrect
information I can then contact the person who posted or shared the post privately to let them
know that this information is incorrect. If they take this news well, I can encourage them to
question the things they hear on social media before spreading them. I can also post on my
pages about misinformation in social media to and tell my friends and family a few easy
ways to prove/disprove the things they read on social media.
Personally, I am against posting my political views on social media. I am not afraid of
confrontation and proving my point, but I am aware that my beliefs are biased based on my
upbringing and the way I see the world. I know that these posts will cause a fight of some
sort, and I don't want people to think exactly what I think because they are their own person
and can develop their own ideas. I also do not think social media is a good place to post
political views because it can be used against you in many ways. It is best to keep opinion
and bias off of social media pages to avoid arguments. I use Instagram, Facebook, and
Twitter. A lot information is passed thought these social media platforms. There are also a
lot of people on these platforms. Some who are presenting a false idea of themselves or
something else. Its important to use critical thinking to determine what to believe. Looking
for credible sources and areas of expertise is one way to use critical thinking. You have the
option to interact with many people on the internet and its important to use critical thinking
to know who to trust. These types of interactions can be helpful if you are a consumer too.
You can do this by looking at adds to determine how they are presented and reviews to see
how credible the product really is. Perhaps, an add you see presented by a celebrity would be
less reliable than an add presented with facts or accreditation. Using critical thinking to see
how a political figure presents their standpoint on issues is important. If they are using
fallacies while discussing issues then perhaps that should help you figure out where they
really stand. If they use an ad hominem to attack the other candidate or a red herring to
distract from an issue then maybe they don't really have a plan in mind for the issue you
were hoping would be addressed. If that's the case then supporting another candidate would
be a result of using your critical thinking skills. I would encourage others to think critically
because it is better for themselves. If they are making sure to use logic to make decisions
then they will truly be informed. Their lives may become easier because they would make
the right decision for them the first time. For me social media is a way to stay more
connected with family and friends than a outlet for personal expressions or my political
thoughts. For some social media is a outlet to let go of frustrations since some people they
may not know personally or just complete strangers. Sometimes social media helps me avoid
face-to face contact because my tone and personality can come off totally wrong. Also when
typing people can sometimes take it the wrong way as well as if I'm attacking them or just
plain on being rude. I have to sometimes stop and think when I'm typing because I don't
know how the other person might take my response such as in politics. We see and hear
what they say on TV and we take it to social media for validation whether the information is
correct or not. I try to not comment about anything political on my social media because I
have friends and family that don't see the same why or even feel the same why I do. I'm very
strong minded and very opinionated when it comes to something I feel strongly about. I
know have to stop and think how would the next person feel or take what I'm saying wrong
and feel like I'm attacking them. Most of the time it's how I'm saying it than what I'm saying
that can offend people. I would tell others to take a second and think before speaking. Don't
use social media as a outlet for emotional expressions. Everyone doesn't think the same and
won't take what you say kindly. what may not mean anything to me may mean something
different to someone else. I am primarily on Facebook, but I have Instagram, Twitter, and
Snapchat accounts as well. I don’t post every day on Facebook, and when I do, it is mainly
to let my family see activities that I am doing with my nieces and nephews. The others, I
mainly use to follow and keep up with my older nephews to see what they are into/up to.
I have started paying closer attention to ads that are out there since going over our readings
for this week. I never really paid close attention to how many there were before. I am a
creature of habit and very picky. I am not one to try new things. The only time I do is when
there is a free sample, or when a friend/family member lets me try/borrow something. Then
I might change what I have been using.I do try to encourage others, especially my family, to
think critically. I had a conversation with my Mom just the other day about the LGBTQ
community. She was raised even more strict then I was, and has a very hard time excepting
them. I told her that as long as they weren’t hurting anyone, what did it matter. It is their life
and their life choices and doesn’t affect her at all. I think that the older a person is, the
harder it is to get them to change their views/beliefs, and you have to learn how to navigate
that without offending them in the process. She did say that I had a valid point, so all I can
do is hope that by planting that one seed, it will grow and blossom. Because I have a strong
feeling that one of my nephews is gay. Whether I am right or not, I will be right beside him
and support him. I just don’t want him to have to fight the battle with his Grandma all on his
own, so I am trying to start chipping away at it ahead of time, just in case. I am uninterested
in social media and I don't have any active accounts. I decided a couple of years ago that
social media didn't really have a use in my life. I found that most people that I was friends
with used social media as a platform to share their biased opinions and, honestly, it was
exhausting to keep up with. So, the way that I handled what I saw on social media back
when I had one was to completely remove myself from the environment. I realized that I
surrounded myself around people who were not open-minded and were not able to hear
anyone's message unless it was aligned with their own views. Some people are not open to
change and refuse to see things from a different perspective - and for those people, I don't
think there is anything that could be said to them about critical thinking.Critical thinking has
impacted my social interactions especially with politics because I don't put myself in a box
and by that I mean, I don't classify myself as conservative or liberal, I just look at the facts
about a situation and make my decision from that and I believe that this gives me a level of
credibility when having a conversation. Social media has become what seems like part of
every ones daily routine. We use it constantly, daily, and even hourly. Some people can't
even have a face-to-face conversation anymore. You can't believe or rely on everything that
is on social media. I think a lot of things are made up for humor and entertainment purposes.
Also, a lot of the news about people is typed up by others who are misinformed and don't
have the evidence to back their conclusions up. When using critical thinking during social
interactions, I will stay more open minded when it comes to other political views; and look
at the support and facts without becoming biased or hurtful even if I disagree with them.
Also, as a consumer, I will only take customer reviews into consideration. I will still do my
own research before I buy something. And not let the popularity of something pressure me
into feeling like I have to have it. I could encourage other to think critically without
offending them by positively communicating with them; and showing them that everyone
has different viewpoints, and even if they are different from our own that doesn't mean that
they or wrong and we are right. We should all be allowed to express ourselves in a heathy
manner while looking at all sides of situations. Social media is now where table talk takes
place in today's society. Depending on what social media accounts you use, they can project
a wide variety of topics, and there is always something to spark conversation about with an
individual. I believe with some social media platforms, critical thinking is nowhere to be
found. There are violent words thrown out, name calling, threats and so much more because
of either misunderstandings, or close minded, opinionated thinking.
I have learned about the moving parts, if you will, that make up the skill set of critical
thinking. I understood that to critical think, you had to dig past the top layer of soil, but I
didn't take any consideration as to what may cause a barrier to appear for a critical thinker,
or even about the opposing side, how they see critical thinking as possibly nonacceptance, or
rejection, which it isn't if done correctly, it is just another point of view that does not
particularly take a side, but obtains understanding of multiple views. Nowadays when I go
onto my social media accounts, it is pretty much to pass the time scrolling, but I do see
enough people taking offense and spitting out opinionated views to where you almost feel as
if you are in it. My knowledge of critical thinking could affect my social interactions
because I will want to remain level headed and unbiased about the topic, and the other
person may feel as though that is an opposing view because I am not directly agreeing with
them, or I am trying to allow them to see the other points of view. As we all know, social
media is the way of the world nowadays. It is used worldwide and seems to be getting more
popular as time passes. What started out as something that was widely used amongst the
younger generation, now adults are using it just as much. One of the reasons social media is
huge because it allows consumers to not only network and share information with others
universally, but it allows for important news topics and or issues to be communicated
amongst the general public almost instantly. Most people use the different social media
platforms to express their opinions or judgements of those topics which often can spark
debates and arguments over different point of views of the situation. Throughout this course,
we have learned the attributes of a critical thinker and how it is important to approach
situations from an objective mindset using logic and structure, while being careful not to
allow room for any ineffective methods to invalidate judgment such as being biased or using
assumption without doing the research first. My goal going forward is to really educate
myself on whatever the encounter may be on social media before being subjected to divulge
any information that could affect my credibility. I plan to support my stance on any
interactions with facts and by considering the opposing views as well, so that I can have a
stronger argument, which could encourage others to do the same. One thing I’ve learned
based on my experiences is that it can be difficult to teach or encourage others to do
something without offending them, but I guess that’s where strong communication skills are
required to effectively do so. I know that I could use some improvement with my
communication skills, so my way of encouraging others to think critically is by practicing
myself, so that others would see that it just may be the better way to reason versus spewing
opinions and other ineffective methods that may do the situation more harm than good. I
myself use Facebook and the internet almost everyday. When I was on Facebook I would
scroll through and comment without giving much thought to what I was putting out there, I
would also read an article and jump to a conclusion pretty quickly, I now realize my
reactions were based on emotion and I was definitely bias in my thought process. I would
also share things without giving real thought as to if what I was sharing had any truth. After
taking this class I now really think about what I am going to post on social media, I also read
others comments before weighing in on a post. I try to look at where the source is coming
from and decide if there is any merit to the story and if what I am going to comment on or
share has any value to the conversation. I try to take others opinions into consideration
before making judgement. This has helped and will continue to help me going forward in my
social life as well, I am now more open to not only listening to what others are saying but
really processing it. I now try to consider others views with and open mind and look for
truth in what they are saying. I am trying to be more open minded of others political views
and focus on facts not emotion. As a consumer I am more attentive, not only relying on one
set of customer reviews but really researching before I buy, not being lured in by marketing.
I think I could encourage others to think critically by pointing out there are always more
sides to an argument/view and seeking truth before making conclusions makes us better
communicators. I would apply what I have learned in my critical thinking class by such not
going on social media telling my personal information, thinking things through, and being
able to go to someone face to face, ask question from the source , especially if it’s he say or
she say . Knowing that what I have going on in my personal life. Social media will not make
my life better for putting my life up but only make it worst . Because you will have people
judging you so on and on. Now , since I have taken this class , I realize I need to think
before I react. Everything is not meant to be on social media. I don't think people should put
all their information and business out there; but I think other people's personal experiences
can sometimes be helpful to something that we may be going through or experiencing
ourselves. Also, I too wish that people wouldn't be so judgmental and hurtful online. It can
affect the people on the receiving end of their hurtful comments negatively. There are so
many other ways to express ourselves and our opinions respectfully without bashing others.
I've learned it makes a difference to think over whether or not what I want to say on a
situation is actually relevant to the topic. I am guilty of allowing my reaction be based off of
emotion as well. That too can cause a biased opinion and at times kept me in a closed-
minded state instead trying to understand others view point of things. All in all I've learned
enough to help give me a better approach with the way that respond and react to things on
social media. I find that social interactions have gone by the wayside and people are
keyboard "warriors." It's funny how I can send an email; get a response, and see how it may
have been interpreted so out of line of what my intended message was meant to be. I now
have to "REALLY" think about what i'm typing, who my audience is and what I'm trying to
accomplish when I send a message.My hope is that people "think" for themselves; so much
of what I hear come out of peoples mouths (emails/spoken words) are things I've heard on
television - and they take up these battles as if it where their own, never backing them up
with things they have really critically thought about or investigated. That's my hope; If that's
what you truly feel and are passionate about it, than own and fight for it. But be the one
fighting for it - not from what you hear in the news. Exceptionally social media has created
an outlet for young and old to communicate without actually communicating. They can type
without any care if they are being rude or what they are saying can be taking the wrong way.
They wouldn't need to critically think about anything because they wouldn't need to actually
have physical contact with a person. The media makes it even worse because it's on TV so it
must be real! Our society is brainwashed by what we see instead of what we actually know.
