Experts Weigh Pros and Cons of Social Media by Sandra Ordonez

As with anything their are Pros and Cons and the case of Social Media is no exception. The Pros are that it is enabling us as a society to interact with others in a new way. It has given people the chance to expand their horizons and view aspects of the world that they may not have been able to before. Information is reported as soon as it happens which keeps everyone in the know. But Matt Hickley, assistant dean for journalism and student media at Richland College, makes a great point in the article. He says, "Too much information bouncing around at the speed of thought leads to too much information erroneously being 'reported' or accepted as 'fact.' This has only accelerated the pressure to be 'first,' often at the expense of being 'right.'" Its this need to get their first that creates a lack of confirmation of information and sources which can lead to misinformation. This is where it becomes important for people to be able to determine if their sources of information are reliable. With the saturation of social Media sites it can be hard to determine where fact and opinion begin and end. Even though their are many more pros and cons that I have not mentioned I feel that they even each other out and make Social Media a worthwhile endeavor.